Survey on antibody against parapoxvirus among cattle in Japan

A seroepidemiological survey was performed on antibody against parapoxvirus among cattle in Japan using the agar gel immunodiffusion test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A total 1,819 sera were collected from cattle in various parts of Japan for the survey. The positive rates were in the range of 40 to 98%, and the reactors increased gradually in number with advancing age. These results indicate that parapoxvirus infection is already prevalent among cattle in Japan. It remains to be elucidated, however, whether the antibodies detected have been produced by infection of the same virus or other viruses that belong to the genus parapoxvirus.