The Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research (OJVR), is the official publication of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute. It publishes scientific papers reporting original research on diseases and disease vectors of livestock and wildlife with a focus on Africa, but with results of more than local interest.

Background: Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) infection, caused by Pestiviruses A and B, with various clinical findings and causes significant economic losses. This disease is common in Turkey as well as in other countries, especially in European countries.Objective: This study was designed to determine the genotypes of BVDVs and their variability among cattle in eastern Turkey.Methods: A total of 110 samples from 85 cattle suspected of BVDV infection were tested using RT‐PCR with primers targeting the 5′UTR, autoprotease (N^pro) and E2 gene regions of pestiviruses. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses were performed on the 5′UTR and N^pro gene regions of these samples.Results: Analysis of 15 sequences obtained from 13 cattle revealed that Pestivirus A (BVDV‐1) was responsible for the infection. In addition, the study identified subgenotypes BVDV‐1a (n = 5), 1b (n = 5), 1d (n = 1), 1f (n = 1), 1l (n = 1) and 1r (n = 2). No evidence of infection with Pestivirus B (BVDV‐2), Pestivirus D (Border disease virus) or Pestivirus H (HoBi‐like virus/BVDV‐3) was found.Conclusion: The significance of pestiviruses in causing genital and respiratory problems is once again emphasised, underscoring the necessity of including them in herd screening. Identifying BVDV genetic diversity both in Turkey and worldwide is crucial for developing effective protection, control and eradication strategies, particularly for vaccination programs. As a conclusion, the identification of BVDV‐1a, 1b, 1d, 1f, 1l and 1r in the eastern provinces of Turkey points to an increase in BVDV‐1 genetic diversity.

Abortions, fetal mummification, calf anomalies, and infertility problems constitute most of the reproductive problems in cattle. Viruses play a significant role in the cause of these cases. In cattle, these agents are known as primary abortion agents and the most common of these agents are Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV), Bovine Herpes Virus Type 1 (BoHV-1), and Bovine Herpes Virus Type 4 (BoHV-4). The objective of this research is to determine the potential role of BVDV, BoHV-1, and BoHV-4 as viral abortion agents in cattle housed in the Van district. For this, a total of 115 animal specimens (blood, serum, vaginal swab, vaginal fluid discharge, nasal swab, and abortion material) from 100 abortion, early embryonic deaths, and infertility cases in cattle over the age of 2-5 years old were collected. All samples for detection of BVDV, BoHV-1 and BoHV-4 genomes were tested by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique using specific primers encoding Panpesti 5'-UTR, Glycoprotein C (gC) and Glycoprotein B (gB) genes, respectively. Result out of the samples tested, 41.73% were positive for BVDV and all samples were negative for BoHV-1 and BoHV-4. In conclusion, the presence of BVDV in cattle in the Van region and its role in the occurrence of abortion cases was emphasized for the first time. It is necessary to the consideration of viral abortions and determine the etiology of abortion cases and genital system problems. According to this, we need to focus on the detection of persistently infected (PI) animals for prevention and control of infection and the most effective way of vaccinating susceptible populations.

Background: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral disease of humans that is most widespread in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Southeast Europe. The disease has continued to be a health problem in Turkey and other endemic countries in recent years. CCHF virus does not cause clinical disease in animal hosts but develops an antibody response and a transient viraemia. The aim of this study is to evaluate the status of CCHF infection serologically and virologically in livestock in the Van region, a non-endemic area in Turkey. Methods: A total of 491 whole blood and 491 serum specimens were collected from cattle, sheep and goats in different locations of Van province in Turkey from May 2020 to October 2021. To determine the CCHFV-specific antibody, all sera from animals were tested with a double-Ag ELISA-Ab kit. An RT-PCR assay was performed on total leucocyte samples for the virological study to detect the presence of European lineage-1 CCHFV nucleic acids and viraemic animals. Result: The prevalence of CCHFV-specific antibodies in animals was found to be 36.4%. The seroprevalence values detected were 11.6%, 64.45% and 81.63% in cattle, sheep and goats, respectively. In the RT-PCR assay, 1.22% (6/491) of the tested animals were found to be viraemic at the time of sampling.

Küçükbaş ruminantların morbillivirusu (SRMV), daha önceki adıyla peste-des-petits ruminants virus (PPRV) enfeksiyonu, küçükbaş ruminantların ekonomik olarak en önemli hastalıklarından biridir. Bu çalışmada, İran'daki küçükbaş ruminantlarda PPRV enfeksiyonunun seroprevalansının belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu bağlamda, İran’ın 9 farklı eyaletindeki (Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Hormozgan, Esfahan, Fars, Kordestan, Gilan, Shahrekord) işletmelerden elde edilen ve İran/Şehrekord Üniversitesi tanı laboratuvarı stoklarında bulunan kan serumu örnekleri kullanılmıştır. Söz konusu işletmelerde PPRV enfeksiyonuna karşı aşılama yapılmadığı öğrenilmiştir. PPRV, N proteinine karşı gelişen spesifik antikorların tespiti amacıyla, 9 farklı eyaletten elde edilen ve İran/Shahrekord Üniversitesi tanı laboratuvarına getirilen 444 koyun ve 58 keçiden alınan toplam 502 kan serumu örneği C-ELISA kiti (ID Screen® PPRV Competition) ile kontrol edilmiştir. PPRV seropozitiflik oranı % 53,38 (268/502) olarak tespit edilmiştir. Örnek alınan eyaletlerden Gilan hariç hepsi PPRV yönünden seropozitif olarak tespit edilmiş ve eyaletlere göre seropozitiflik dağılımının %12.5 - 96.29 oranları arasında değişim gösterdiği belirlenmiştir. Hayvan türlerine göre seropozitiflik değerlerine bakıldığında ise, örneklenen koyunların %53.6’sı (238/444) ve keçilerin %51.7’si (30/58) PPRV spesifik antikorları yönünden pozitif olarak bulunmuştur. PPRV enfeksiyonunun İran’da endemik olduğu bir kez daha ortaya konmuş; Türkiye’nin sınır komşusu olan İran ve hayvan hareketlerinin sınırlandırılmasının zorluğuna dikkat çekilerek, enfeksiyondan korunmada en etkili yolun duyarlı populasyonun aşılanması üzerinde durulması gerekliliği sonucuna varılmıştır.