Molecular Detection of Influenza D Virus in Cattle with Clinical Signs of Respiratory Infection in Burdur Province, Türkiye

Influenza D virus (IDV) is an important viral pathogen commonly associated with the etiology of Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex (BRDC). This study aimed to investigate the role and prevalence of IDV in the etiology of respiratory system infections in cattle bred by farmers in the region. Therefore, molecular detection of the agent was carried out using the conventional RT-PCR method with oligonucleotide primers specific to the Hemagglutinin-Esterase-Fusion (HEF) gene region in nasal swab samples obtained from 200 cattle of different breeds, ages, and sexes with clinical symptoms of respiratory system infection in the research area. As a result, a prevalence rate of 1.5% (3/200; %95 CI: 0.3-4.3) was reported. Furthermore, it was determined that affected herds contained imported animals and that newly introduced animals had not undergone an appropriate quarantine procedure. The research results are consistent with prevalence and experimental clinical studies conducted worldwide. Considering the limited molecular studies investigating IDV circulation in cattle in Türkiye, this study provides additional epidemiological data from the province of Burdur.