Bovid herpesvirus 2 latency: failure to recover virus from central sensory nerve ganglia

Latent bovid herpesvirus 2 was sought in sensory ganglia, epithelium and lymph nodes from cattle having antibodies against bovid herpes virus 2. Tissues from eight animals were maintained in vitro as explants for 49-72 days during which all expended media was tested for virus. Three animals were pretreated with corticosteroids prior to slaughter. Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus was recovered from one animal, but bovid herpesvirus 2 was not detected.