National Institute of Animal Health (NIAH)

Topics in Animal Health Research 1998

14. Transmission of Ovine Herpesvirus 2 in Lambs

Japanese

The transmission of ovine herpesvirus-2 (OHV-2) in five sets of twin lambs was examined by competitive inhibition ELISA and PCR. Viral DNA was not detected in either the peripheral blood leukocytes nor the nasal swabs of the newborn lambs. Subsequently, all of them were infected by 5 months of age, but some lambs were infected 2 months later than the other half of the twins. This fact suggests that the natural infection in lambs may occur by horizontal infection rather than by vertical infection. All of the lambs seroconverted between 2 and 8 months after OHV-2 infection.
(Lab. of Clinical Microbiology, Hokkaido Research Station, TEL +81-11-851-5226)

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