Investigation of Some Neuroinfectious Viral Agents in Turkish Cattle: First Detection and Molecular Characterization of Bovine Herpesvirus Type 5 (BoHV-5)

Abstract

Neuroinfectious diseases in cattle, which result in significant economic losses and pose a serious threat to animal health, often go undiagnosed due to the challenge of identifying their underlying cause. In this study, a total of 180 brain samples from cattle with neurological symptoms were collected from various provinces in T & uuml;rkiye during 2021-2022. Viral nucleic acids were extracted, followed by PCR and RT-PCR assays targeting specific gene regions of BoHV-1, BoHV-5, OvHV-2, and BoAstV. BoHV-1 was detected in 7.22% (13/180) of the samples, BoHV-5 in 5.00% (9/180), and OvHV-2 in 0.55% (1/180). BoAstV, however, was not detected in any of the samples. Analysis of the gB gene region sequences revealed a high nucleotide identity (100%) between BoHV-1 strains from America, Israel, Sweden, and Italy, and BoHV-5 strains (S9 and S24) from Brazil. The OvHV-2 strain obtained from this study clustered within the OvHV-2.1 cluster along with some Asian strains (Iraq, Pakistan, Mongolia, India, Turkey). Studies focused on neuroinfectious diseases in cattle, especially those related to BoAstV and BoHV-5, are relatively scarce. This study represents one of the first investigations into the majority of neuroinfectious viruses in Turkish cattle, with the identification of BoHV-5 being reported for the first time here. It is anticipated that the data obtained will significantly contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis and molecular epidemiology of these studied viruses.