Prevalence of bovine viral diarrhea virus antibodies and risk factors in dairy cattle in Gondar city, Northwest Ethiopia

Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) is a disease that affects cattle and other ruminants worldwide and causes considerable economic losses. A cross-sectional study was carried out between December 2017 and July 2018 with the aim to estimate the prevalence of Bovine Viral Diarrhea virus (BVDV) antibodies and to identify potential risk factors associated with the occurrence of the disease in dairy cattle in peri-urban areas of Gondar city, Northwest Ethiopia. A total of 339 serum samples obtained from randomly selected dairy cattle aged 6 months and older were assayed using a BVDV antibody competitive-Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (c-ELISA) kit. Descriptive statistics were used to estimate antibody prevalence of BVDV at animal and herd-level and logistic regression was used to identify potential risk factors. The study findings showed that the animal-level antibody prevalence of BVDV in the study area was 26.84 % (95 % CI: 22.1 %-31.6 %) and the herd-level seroprevalence was 68.3 % (95 % CI: 56.2 %-80.4 %). Logistic regression model demonstrated that age 2 years (OR = 4.75, 95 % CI: 2.20-10.26), herd size >11 (OR = 7.28, 95 % CI: 2.50-21.22), and poor farm hygiene (OR = 3.69, 95 % CI: 1.94-7.02), are potential risk factors associated with BVDV infection (P < 0.05). However, sex, faecal consistency and housing system were not associated with BVDV serostatus. The animal- and herd-level seroprevalence reports in Northwest Ethiopia can serve as a baseline finding for future BVD epidemiological investigations and to inform future control programs in the study region.

Automated summary

The study found that the animal-level antibody prevalence of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) in the study area was 26.84%, and the herd-level seroprevalence was 68.3%. Logistic regression analysis identified age over 2 years, herd size over 11, and poor farm hygiene as potential risk factors associated with BVDV infection.