Herpesvirus meningoencephalitis in cattle and its verification by the nucleic acid hybridisation procedure (DOT-BLOT)

Abstract

In August, 1995, an putbreak of lymphoplasmocitary meningoencephalitis in cattle due to herpesvirus, took place in a farm on Paysandú county. Affected animals were steers of different breeds, between one to two years old, and female Holstein and Charolais calves under one year old. The morbility reached 5,7%, mortality ,% and a lethality of 63,8%. The syntomatology was basically nervpus, including circling deambulation, depressed sensorium, trembling, opistotonus, incoordination, ataxia and hyperthermia. The histopathological examination was characterized by lymphoplasmocitary meningitis, difuse encephalitis, necrosis in the cerebelar cortex, and intranuclear inclusion bodies in some astrocytes. Confirmation of the ethyologic agent, was made through the nucleic acids hibridization (DOT-BLOT), from brain samples of necropsiated animals with a specific probe of bovine herpesvirus type-1.1. The sensibility obtained with this technique was 1 pg. The samples maintained at -80ºC can be processed after several months.