Abstract

Roberto Calderon Gonçalves , Andreza Amaral da Silva , Danilo Otávio Laurenti Ferreira , Júlio Simões Marcondes , Edviges Maristela Pituco and Adriano Dias

Viral respiratory infections are common in sheep, and losses related to the introduction and spread of viral agents in flocks are inevitable. In spite of the growth of sheep production in the State of Sao Paulo, little is known about the frequency and dissemination of these agents in this State. The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of antibodies to bovine virus parainfluenza type 3 virus (BPI3), respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), and herpes virus type 1 (BoHV-1) in sheep flocks in Botucatu Region, São Paulo, Brazil. Blood samples were collected from 194 clinically healthy dams, one to three years of age and analyzed for neutralizing antibodies against the target viruses. Frequencies of antibodies were 82% (159/194) for BPI3; 58.8% (114/194) for BRSV; 0.5% (1/194) for BVDV, and no detection of BoHV-1. Titer of reactor samples ranged from 2 to 2048 for BPI3, from 2 to 64 for BRSV, and was 10 for the single reactor for BVDV. Results indicate that BPI3, BRSV, and BVDV occurr in sheep flocks of the Region of Botucatu, São Paulo, and that BPI3 is probably the main agent involved in viral pneumonia cases in the region.