Prevalence of neutralizing antibodies to bovid herpesvirus 2 in African wildlife.

A total of 3,470 sera, collected between 1963 and 1980 from 45 different species of wildlife in nine African countries, was examined for virus neutralizing (VN) antibodies to bovid herpesvirus 2. Antibodies were demonstrated in 20 species including 15 Bovidae, two Suidae, hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) and a green monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops); 11 of these species had not been previously recorded as sero-positive. Although the significance of neutralizing antibodies in the absence of virus isolation remains in doubt, results suggest that infection is widespread in wildlife. The highest VN titres were recorded in waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus and K. defassa), reedbuck (Redunca arundinum) and buffalo (Syncerus caffer). Infection appears to be continuous in free-living populations of buffalo and antibodies are present in the majority of animals by the age of 2 yr.