Prevalence of bovine viral diarrhea virus in young purebred beef bulls in Kansas

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) causes severe economic losses in the cattle industry worldwide. To mitigate risk of these losses, BVDV should be considered when formulating beef cattle biosecurity programs. It is important to have accurate prevalence estimates for specific populations being tested when developing risk assessments as part of a biosecurity program. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of BVDV infection in young (10 months-two years of age), purebred beef bulls for sale in the state of Kansas. Serum samples from young, purebred beef bulls were submitted to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for brucellosis testing as part of the Kansas state requirements for the sale of breeding bulls. All serum samples (2,520) collected between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2001 were tested for BVDV using an indirect immunoperoxidase monolayer assay. A total of 17 serum samples tested positive for BVDV, corresponding to a prevalence of 0.67% (95% CI; 0.35-0.99%) in this population. Therefore, although uncommon, young purebred beef bulls may be a source of infection for BVDV.