Write a PREreview

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) poses a serious disease in cattle. Cachexia is a condition marked by weight loss and muscle wasting and is often observed in infected animals. This study set out to investigate whether there’s a link between BVDV infection and cachexia in cattle from Tiaret, Algeria. Serological, molecular, and virological analysis were conducted on one hundred cachectic cattle from ten herds, namely an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and virus isolation by cell culture to detect and characterize the virus. The results showed a high seroprevalence of BVDV. Nearly all herds, and a large majority of individual animals (93.62%), tested positive for BVDV. Moreover, adults (≥ 2 years) and males showed higher antibody rates than younger animals and females, but that was statistically not significant. Phylogenetic analysis was used for molecular characterisation which confirmed the circulation of the BVDV-1f subtype, which had previously been reported in Poland. Although the virus was frequent among these animals, it does not directly cause cachexia. The immunosuppression may predispose animals to secondary infections that lead to wasting. Better prevention strategies and expanded veterinary surveillance are needed to reduce the overall problem of BVDV in Algerian herds.