Seroprevalence and Associated Risk Factor of Bovine Herpes Virus Infection in and Around Jimma Town Dairy Cattle, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1) is the causative agent of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IPV) in cows, and infectious pustular balanoposthitis (IPB) in bulls, and it occurs worldwide. It is an important infectious viral disease of cattle responsible for respiratory and reproductive losses in cattle population, especially in developing nations. Across sectional study was conducted on a total of 349 randomly selected dairy cattle from 39 herds. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) was applied to detect antibodies specific to BoHV-1. Added to this, semi-structured questionnaire was administered and farm records were assessed to identify potential risk factors associated with BoHV-1 seropositivity. Logistic regression analyses were used to potential risk factors associated with BoHV-1 serostatus. Model fitness was assessed by using the Hosmer and Lemeshow method. An Overall animal level BoHV-1 seroprevalence of 14.57% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.41-18.23%) and herd level seroprevalence of 61.53% (95% CI: 44.62-76.63%) were found. In multivariable logistic regress model, the seroprevalence of BoHV-1exposure was higher in purchased cattle (Odd ratio [OR] = 94; P-value: 0.0001) than homebred dairy cattle. Cows with a history of abortion were 20.06 times more likely to be seropositive than cows without such a history (OR = 20.06; P-value: 005), indicating a strong link between BoHV-1 infection and reproductive losses. Cow with history of infertility were 37.38 (OR=37.38, P-value: 0.001) more likelihood of seropositive that cows without such problem. BoHV-1 infection was widespread at both animal (14.57%) and herd level (61.53%). Purchased cattle, abortion, and infertility were strongly associated with seropositivity, indicating the virus’ major role in reproductive losses. These findings underscore the importance of implementing preventive measures, including strict biosecurity, screening of newly introduced animals, and vaccination strategies, to reduce BoHV-1 transmission and its economic consequences.