[Comparative studies with three different bovine blood sample BHV-1 ELISA tests: indirect ELISA and...

A total of 2754 bovine blood samples were examined for BHV1 antibodies in three different BHV-1 ELISA tests. The tests used were the CHEKIT Trachitest 2nd. Gen. "Bestätigungstest" Serum, the CHEKIT-BHV-1-gB-ELISA (Bommeli-Diagnostics/Intervet), and the BHV-1-gB Antibody Test Kit (IDEXX). A first testing identified 111 (4.0%) of the samples as positive and 2501 (90.8%) samples negative in all three tests. Onehundredand-fortytwo (5.2%) of the samples showed a not negative result in at least one of the two gB-ELISAs. The testing was repeated for 139 of the 142 samples and still 89 (3.2%) samples were found with discrepant results. The remaining 50 samples showed a negative reaction in the three ELISA tests. After Western blot analysis antibodies against glycoprotein B (gB) of BHV-1 were only detected in 11 of the 89 samples with a not negative reaction in at least one of the gB-ELISAs. Three of the 50 ELISA-negative samples showed a positive reaction in the Western blot. The high number of positive results in the gB-ELISAs which were negative in the Western blot assay leads to the conclusion that gB-ELISAs may have a lower specificity as the indirect ELISA. Introducing the gB-ELISA as the standard test for BHV1 serology in Bavaria would result to an increase of the number of BHV-1 positive farms by 8% (gB IDEXX) or 20% (gB Bommeli) 20%.