Background: Pestiviruses are the veterinary viruses with genome homology to human hepatitis C virus (HCV). This group includes classical swine fever virus (CSFV), border disease virus of sheep (BDV) and bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV). There are some similarities in the pathology of all three virus infections; in utero transmission to the foetus can cause early embryonic losses, severe congenital abnormalities and, particularly with BVDV, lifelong persistent infections. In situ hybridisation studies have demonstrated virus within reproductive tissues and the germinal centres of lymphoid tissue.Objectives: To examine the immune response of cattle throughout their pregnancy following infection with bovine pestivirus (BVDV) during the first trimester (before 110 days).Study design: In two experimental studies, heifers were infected with BVDV before 98 days gestation. Their antibody response was monitored during the remainder of the pregnancy. In another study, the antibody response of pregnant cattle was monitored following a natural infection of BVDV on a farm. Calves of the darns from all these three studies were examined, following birth, for persistent BVDV infection.Results: It was observed that in dams carrying persistently infected foetuses, the immune response was markedly higher (13811 +/- 1273 U ELISA antibody) than in those darns carrying uninfected foetuses (2542 +/- 588 U ELISA antibody). These results were used to establish an antibody threshold (10000 U ELISA antibody) to predict the virus status of unborn calves during a farm outbreak of BVDV infection. The combined results of experimental and farm studies showed that in darns with low antibodies, 5/15 calves were infected whereas in dams with high antibodies, 17/19 calves were infected.Conclusions: The predictive reliability of the assay appeared valuable but not secure. The ability of BVDV to infect the foetus with consequent maternal recognition, whilst remaining inaccessible to maternal immune exclusion, is a novel finding. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

A model is described for the validation of vaccines designed to protect the bovine fetus from bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV). The fetopathic nature of the challenge strain of virus was confirmed and the method used to test a commercial vaccine (Bovidec) developed from a Compton prototype. Heifers were vaccinated two or three times about the time of impregnation and challenged when they were between 25 and 80 days of gestation. There was no evidence of a viraemia in the heifers after the challenge, or of infection with BVDV of 13 liveborn calves or two aborted fetuses.

Flow cytometry and two-colour immunofluorescence were used to detect cytoplasmic bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) antigen in leukocytes from viraemic cattle. Monoclonal antibody to the p80 protein of BVDV, a non-structural viral antigen, was used to identify the subpopulations of leukocytes in which viral protein synthesis had occurred. Viral antigen was detected in 23% of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Monocytes were found to have the highest frequency of infection (35%). A higher proportion of CD2(+) T cells (23%) were infected, compared with B cells (11%) or WC1(+) gamma delta T cells (11%). No significant differences in percentages of different leukocyte subpopulations in blood were detected in persistently viraemic animals compared with controls.