Seroepidemiology and molecular investigation of pestiviruses among sheep and goats in Northwest Anatolia

Pestiviruses, which are distributed worldwide, may cause losses in sheep and goat populations. The current seroprevalence and circulation of pestiviruses in small ruminants of the South Marmara Region of Turkey were investigated. A total of 607 blood samples were collected from 22 different flocks in 4 different provinces, and 24 necropsy materials were investigated. Pestivirus seroprevalence in sheep and goats was determined by virus neutralization test against the NADL strain of bovine viral diarrhea virus. The mean antibody titer was 3.5, while the overall seropositivity rate was 32.78% (199/607). Seronegativity was markedly more prevalent in goats. The mean detected antibody titer was 6.8 in sheep and 1.1 in goats. All blood samples were negative as assessed by Ag-ELISA and RT-PCR. Fourteen out of 24 fetal samples were detected as antigen-positive by Ag-ELISA. The amplification was observed using pan-pesti primers in four tissue samples. All four samples were identified as border disease virus by discriminative RT-PCR. In conclusion, the moderate seroprevalence but low antibody titers detected in this study indicate that small ruminants in the South Marmara Region may be at risk of extensive new circulations of pestivirus infections.