Comparative prevalence of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus antibodies among native and imported cattle in north of Sistan and Baluchistan- Iran

Background and Aims: Sistan is a major pole in dairy production and genetic resource for the unique sistanian breed in the southeast of Iran. This region has a wide border with Afghanistan and cattle imports are done through this border.&nbsp; The&nbsp;&nbsp; main aim of this study was to compare the seroprevalence of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) infection rate using direct Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test among imported and native cattle&rsquo;s. Materials and Methods: Totally, 180 serum samples were collected from 20 non-vaccinating farms in the north of Sistan and Baluchistan province &ndash;Iran. Commercial indirect ELISA test was used for detection of serum antibodies against BVDV. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square test. Results: The number of 123 (68.33%) cows were seropositive. All of the herds were were&nbsp;ELISA&nbsp;seropositive. The seroprevalence ranged from 73 to 100 percent within the farms. The prevalence was significantly higher in cows higher than 2 years old compared to animals lower&nbsp; than 2 years old (P<0.05).The results revealed no significant differences in seroprevalence of BVDV between native Iranian and imported cattle in Sistan. Sex of animal had no influence on the prevalence of BVDV. Conclusions: Results of this study indicated that BVDV was highly prevalent in the north of Sistan and Baluchistan and BVDV infection could be controlled by livestock &ndash; trade control, and considering biosecurity measures in farms.