The economic impact of abortions in ruminant breeders is one of the biggest problems in livestock. Of the infectious agents, viruses, especially herpesviruses and pestiviruses, are the most important causative agents of abortion in ruminants. In the present study, the role of herpesviruses (bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1), bovine herpesvirus-4 (BoHV-4)) and pestiviruses (bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), border disease virus (BDV)) was investigated in cases of ruminant abortion between 2007 and 2015 in western Turkey. Out of 81 aborted fetal samples (60 calves, 19 lambs, and 2 kids), 42 were positive, which included 31 calves, 9 lambs, and 2 goats; 39 aborted fetal samples were negative for the pestivirus antigen ELISA. BoHV-1 antigen ELISA was positive in 3 cases which included 2 calves and 1 lamb; the remainder 78 cases were negative. Pestivirus and BoHV-1 were positive in 51.85 and 3.70 %, respectively, of the samples. According to PCR analysis, BoHV-4 was not encountered in any of the tested samples. In one of the calf fetus samples, both BVDV and BoHV-1 were positive; in one of the lamb fetus samples, BoHV-1 was positive. There was a much higher level of pestivirus antigen than the other viral agents evaluated in the study (p < 0.0001). The results of this study indicate that pestiviruses are a common viral cause of ruminant abortions in the examined area.
Keywords: Abortion; Herpesvirus; Pestivirus; Ruminants.