Pestivirus infection (cattle)

Description

Pestivirus is a viral infection of cattle present in feedlots and beef and dairy herds in Australia. Lifelong carriers of the virus, including cases of mucosal disease, are a consequence of infection in early foetal life (usually before 100 days gestation). These lifelong carriers are often termed PI (persistently infected).

Foetal infection which persists into and through post-natal life will have resulted from one of two circumstances:

Infection of a susceptible dam, probably through contact with a virus carrier, in early (usually 30 to 100 days) pregnancy. Immune tolerance to the virus is induced; or,
The dam herself is a persistently viraemic and immunotolerant animal.

Pestivirus infection is associated with:

Embryonic or foetal death
Reduced fertility
Congenital malformations
Perinatal mortality
Poor growth rates
Respiratory disease
Non-specific immunosuppression
Disease with mortality in calfhood or early adult life

Control

Vaccination of all breeding cattle
Removal of carrier animals and maintain strict bio-security (including testing of all animals entering the property)
Livestock management to ensure all breeding heifers have been infected with pestivirus well before mating

Diagnosis and tests available

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is based on recognition of a syndrome consistent with pestivirus infection in combination with confirmatory laboratory testing.

Tests available

Click on + in the tables below for sampling requirements and additional test information

Code	Name	Samples required	Species	Turnaround time	Price (excl. GST)	Notes	Test days
PEST_AGID	Pestivirus Antibody AGID (BVD)	Clotted blood (Red top) 10 ml of blood collected in a plain red top tube submitted chilled Foetal fluid Pericardial, pleural or peritoneal (in order of preference). Submit chilled Please note on the submission form if colostrum was given to a neonate	Bovine	3-5D	$25.35	D (number of working days) and W (number of weeks). Test TAT does not include weekends and public holidays.	Tuesday & Friday
PEST_ABEL	Pestivirus Antibody ELISA (BVD)	Clotted blood (Red top) 10 ml of blood collected in a plain red top tube Submit chilled The pestivirus antibody AGID is usually preferred to the ELISA for disease investigations, as the time of infection may be inferred from the results	Bovine	Up to 7D	$27.90	D (number of working days) and W (number of weeks). Test TAT does not include weekends and public holidays.	Batch tested weekly
PEST_MILK	Pestivirus Antibody ELISA in Milk Samples	Bulk milk Submit chilled, ideally in milk preservative. If milk preservative is unavailable samples may be frozen prior to submission	Bovine	Up to 7D	$27.90	D (number of working days) and W (number of weeks). Test TAT does not include weekends and public holidays.	Batch tested weekly
PEST_SK_SE	Pestivirus Antigen ELISA (PACE) – Serum or Skin (PRICE TIER A: 1–9 samples)	Clotted blood (Red top) 10 ml of blood into a plain red top tube (animals >2months) Do not use serum separator tubes. Submit chilled Ear Notch- - Dead animals and foetuses Ear notch (skin) can be used for animals of any age Submit chilled in sterile container or in Pestivirus ear notch media When sampling groups of >10 animals, ear notch samples should be submitted in ear notch media (media can be requested online) Fresh Tissues- - Dead animals and foetuses Spleen, lung or lymph node Submit chilled	Bovine	5-7D	$20.05	D (number of working days) and W (number of weeks). Test TAT does not include weekends and public holidays.	Batch tested 2-3 times weekly
PEST_SK_SE	Pestivirus Antigen ELISA (PACE) – Serum or Skin (PRICE TIER B:10-19 samples)	Clotted blood (Red top) 10 ml of blood into a plain red top tube (animals >2months) Do not use serum separator tubes. Submit chilled Ear Notch- - Dead animals and foetuses Ear notch (skin) can be used for animals of any age Submit chilled in sterile container or in Pestivirus ear notch media When sampling groups of >10 animals, ear notch samples should be submitted in ear notch media (media can be requested online) Fresh Tissues- - Dead animals and foetuses Spleen, lung or lymph node Submit chilled	Bovine	5-7D	$14.75	D (number of working days) and W (number of weeks). Test TAT does not include weekends and public holidays.	Batch tested 2-3 times weekly
PEST_SK_SE	Pestivirus Antigen ELISA (PACE) – Serum or Skin (PRICE TIER C:>20 samples)	Clotted blood (Red top) 10 ml of blood into a plain red top tube (animals >2months) Do not use serum separator tubes. Submit chilled Ear Notch- - Dead animals and foetuses Ear notch (skin) can be used for animals of any age Submit chilled in sterile container or in Pestivirus ear notch media When sampling groups of >10 animals, ear notch samples should be submitted in ear notch media (media can be requested online) Fresh Tissues- - Dead animals and foetuses Spleen, lung or lymph node Submit chilled	Bovine	5-7D	$12.60	D (number of working days) and W (number of weeks). Test TAT does not include weekends and public holidays.	Batch tested 2-3 times weekly
PEST2_VI or PEST3_VI	Pestivirus Virus Isolation	Blood (Red top tube) 10 ml of blood collected into a plain red top tube Submitted chilled Swab in PBGS Nasal swab collected from affected animal Send in viral transport media (PBGS) PBGS can be requested online Used in cases of respiratory disease, to detect acute infections rather than PI animals. Semen Semen straws or raw semen (please contact Customer Service prior to submission. For regulatory testing samples must be shipped at specified temperatures) Fresh Tissues Spleen, lung or lymph node Submit chilled	Bovine	3-4W	Contact Customer Service	D (number of working days) and W (number of weeks). Test TAT does not include weekends and public holidays. NOTE: For export and/or regulatory related submissions, please contact Customer Service or send through the submission details via our Quotation Request Form before submitting samples.	According to demand
PI_TEST	Pestivirus PI Test® – Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (Price Tier A: 1–9 samples)	Hair 20-30 tail hairs (Bulb must be included and submitted using the PI-Test® hair sample collection kit) Hair samples must be submitted to the laboratory promptly and within 2 weeks of collection Collection kits can be ordered free of charge by ordering online The kits contain detailed notes on hair collection. The PI Hair collection guide is also available online.	Bovine	5-7D	$20.05	D (number of working days) and W (number of weeks). Test TAT does not include weekends and public holidays.	Batch tested 2-3 times weekly
PI_TEST	Pestivirus PI Test® – Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (Price Tier B: 10–19) samples)	Hair 20-30 tail hairs (Bulb must be included and submitted using the PI-Test® hair sample collection kit) Hair samples must be submitted to the laboratory promptly and within 2 weeks of collection Collection kits can be ordered free of charge by ordering online The kits contain detailed notes on hair collection. The PI Hair collection guide is also available online.	Bovine	5-7D	$14.70	D (number of working days) and W (number of weeks). Test TAT does not include weekends and public holidays.	Batch tested 2-3 times weekly
PI_TEST	Pestivirus PI Test® – Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (Price Tier C: >20 samples)	Hair 20-30 tail hairs (Bulb must be included and submitted using the PI-Test® hair sample collection kit) Hair samples must be submitted to the laboratory promptly and within 2 weeks of collection Collection kits can be ordered free of charge by ordering online The kits contain detailed notes on hair collection. The PI Hair collection guide is also available online.	Bovine	5-7D	$12.60	D (number of working days) and W (number of weeks). Test TAT does not include weekends and public holidays.	Batch tested 2-3 times weekly
PEST_RTPCR	Pestivirus Real–time PCR	Clotted Blood (Red top) 10 ml of blood collected into a plain red top tube Do not use serum separator tubes. Submit chilled EDTA blood (Purple top) 10 ml of blood collected into an EDTA purple tube Submitted chilled Milk Bulk milk Submit chilled, ideally in milk preservative. If milk preservative is unavailable samples may be frozen prior to submission. Swab in PBGS Nasal swab collected from affected animal sent in viral transport media (PBGS) PBGS can be requested online Used in cases of respiratory disease, to detect acute infections rather than PI animals. Fresh Tissue- Dead animals and foetuses Spleen, lung or lymph node Submit chilled in an insulated container Semen Semen straws or raw semen (please contact Customer Service prior to submission. For regulatory testing samples must be shipped at specified temperatures.	Bovine	2-3D	$109.35	D (number of working days) and W (number of weeks). Test TAT does not include weekends and public holidays.	According to demand
PEST_VN	Pestivirus Virus Neutralisation Test (VNT)	Clotted blood (Red top) 10 ml of blood collected in a plain red top tube Submit chilled	Bovine	1-2W	$55.15	D (number of working days) and W (number of weeks). Test TAT does not include weekends and public holidays.	Batch tested on Friday

Additional test information
Care should be exercised when interpreting serological results from calves less than six months of age because the detection of antibodies may be the result of colostral transfer rather than previous infection.
Where pestivirus infection and/or mucosal disease has been confirmed, further testing of maternal relatives and enquiry into the history and management of the herd may indicate how or when infection occurred, and what steps can be taken to eliminate the problem.
A newborn calf with congenital deformities, the product of infection at 120-180 days gestation, may be seropositive. Some stillborn apparently normal calves can also be seropositive. PI animals are usually antibody negative at birth but will acquire specific antibody from their dam with colostrum. This colostral antibody may persist up to 6 months. Demonstration of an antibody titre in a live animal usually indicates the animal is not persistently infected, assuming it is old enough to have lost maternal antibody (> 6 months). However, around 5% of PI animals may have antibody to pestivirus.
Serum samples collected from 10-15 cows and tested by Pestivirus AGID may provide evidence of the extent of herd infection. This information may help with management decisions regarding pestivirus. In cases of embryonic mortality or abortion this information may allow more selective investigation to confirm pestivirus involvement.

Additional Information

Customer Service

Contact Customer Service for enquiries relating to testing and results, quotations and pricing, couriers, sample submission and invoicing.

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CONTACT DETAILS
Phone	1800 675 623
Email	laboratory.services@dpird.nsw.gov.au
Operating Hours	8:30am-4:30pm Monday-Friday (excluding public holidays) 8:30am-12:00pm Saturday (for deliveries only)
Postal Address	Private Bag 4008, Narellan NSW 2567

Quotations

For Animal export, Plant health or Veterinary quotations, please complete the online quotation request

Submission Forms

Veterinary Specimen Advice Form

Please Note: These documents are not fully web accessible, please contact Customer Service (laboratory.services@dpird.nsw.gov.au) for more information.

Courier services and specimen delivery

For NSW submissions, please contact the relevant Customer Service team for courier account details and to order consignment notes.

For submitters outside of NSW, Couriers can be contacted directly to make bookings and arrange collection of packages at the submitters own cost.

Commercial couriers may use either road or air transport and specimens should therefore be packed in accordance with International Air Transport Association (IATA) requirements. Most submission sent by veterinarians to the APHL for testing are defined as “Biological Substance Category B” and must be packed according to the IATA packing instructions 650 (Biological Substance Category B). As requirements for transport can change, customers should consult with their transport agent to obtain current requirements.

Samples may also be hand delivered to the site during normal business hours (8.30am - 4.30pm).

Sample Type	Laboratory	Street Address
Animal (including aquatic animals)	NSW Animal and Plant Health Laboratories (APHL)	EMAI, Woodbridge Road, Menangle NSW 2568