Serological Evidence of Bovine Herpes Virus-1 in Goats in Lahore, Pakistan

Recently, BoHV-1 is detected with a 69% seroprevalence in the cattle sampled from Lahore and Rawalpindi districts of the Punjab Province of Pakistan. The objectives of the present study included evaluating the seroprevalence of BoHV-1 in goats accompanied by cattle in the areas where seropositive cattle have been previously identified. A total of 126 blood samples were collected from goats located in areas of Lahore District where previously cattle were seropositive for BoHV-1. Competitive ELISA was performed to detect antibodies for glycoprotein E of BoHV-1. Of 126 sampled goats 13 (10.3%) were seropositive for BoHV-1. The odds ratio analyses indicated that both the history of abortion and respiratory disease as well as being a male goat and accompanying cattle were significant risk factors for BoHV-1 infection in goats, however, age (> 2 years), was not a significant risk factor. To our knowledge this is first study in Pakistan investigating the role of goats in the chain of transmission of BoHV-1.