Evaluation of acute phase response in cattle with naturally infected bovine ephemeral fever virus

Abstract

Bovine ephemeral fever is an arthropod-borne viral disease that primarily affects cattle and causes economic losses mainly due to the sudden decrease in milk yield. We aimed to reveal the biochemical reflection of the acute phase response by detecting the changes in serum acute phase proteins in cattle naturally infected with the bovine ephemeral fever virus. The material of this study consisted of 21 Simmental dairy cows (4–6 years old) naturally infected with bovine ephemeral fever virus (infected group) and 10 clinically and serologically healthy Simmental dairy cows (control group). The prevalence of the disease in suspected cattle was 52 per 100. It was determined that in infected cows levels of serum haptoglobin, serum amyloid A (P < 0.001), and ceruloplasmin increased significantly (P < 0.05), whereas levels of albumin decreased significantly (P < 0.05). It is thought that the acute phase proteins variation pattern for bovine ephemeral fever would be beneficial both in better understanding the pathogenesis of the disease and in determining the diagnosis and prognosis correctly.