Costa M, García L, Yunus A S, Rockemann D D, Samal S K, Cristina J
Departamento de Técnicas Nucleares Aplicadas, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay.
Vet Res. 2000 Mar-Apr;31(2):241-6. doi: 10.1051/vetres:2000119.
Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is a major cause of respiratory disease in calves resulting in a substantial economic loss for the cattle industry worldwide. In order to determine the presence of BRSV in Uruguay, an immunoenzymatic test was set up, using a recombinant BRSV nucleocapsid (N) protein as the antigen. The N protein was produced in Sf9 insect cells by a recombinant baculovirus expressing the N protein. Serum samples collected from one hundred cattle from four different geographic regions of Uruguay were analyzed. Antibodies against the N protein of BRSV were detected in 95% of the serum samples analyzed. These results show for the first time the presence of BRSV antibodies and suggest a widespread BRSV infection in the cattle population of Uruguay.
