Antibody prevalence against respiratory viruses in sheep and goats in North-Western Turkey

Respiratory viruses may infect both small and large ruminant species, and can be transmitted among those of species. Present study reports presence and serological distribution of bovine respiratory viral infections in sheep and goats in Marmara region of Turkey. Total of 388 sera, 228 from sheep and 160 from goats collected from 4 provinces were analysed. Neutralising antibodies specific to BVDV, BHV-1, BRSV, PI-3, BAV-1 and BAV-3 were investigated. Among 388 serum samples 32.1% were positive for BVDV, 23.0% for BHV-1, 72.9% for BRSV, 13.2% for PI-3, 86.0% for BAV-1 and 93.0% for BAV-3. There were significant differences observed between seroprevalence rates detected in neighbouring provinces. Prevalence of BVDV specific antibodies was extremely higher (p = 0.0009) in sheep, however, BHV-1 (p = 0.0001) and PI-3 (p = 0.0038) were more prevalent in goats. BRSV antibody prevalence was closely related to data obtained from cattle. This study demonstrates that, like in cattle herds, BRSV and adenoviruses are the possible common reason of respiratory diseases in small ruminants in the region.