SEROLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF ABORTION-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS IN DAIRY CATTLE IN WESTERN AZERBAIJAN

Abortion is an important reproductive problem in dairy cattle and may results in substantial economic losses to cattle production systems.The interpretation of serological findings in vaccinated herds is particularly challenging because antibody detection may reflect vaccine-induced immunity rather than natural infection.The aim of this study was to assess the serological responses to bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1), Neospora caninum and Chlamydia abortus and to evaluate their potential association with late-term abortion in dairy cattle in western region of Azerbaijan.A total of 150 Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were randomly selected from three districts of the Ganja-Dashkasan economic region: Goranboy (n=55), Goygol (n=50) and Samukh (n=45).The overall animal-level seropositivity for BVDV and BoHV-1 was 55.48% and 39.76%, respectively, while herd-level seropositivity was 91.67% and 77.87%.Because vaccination against BVDV and BoHV-1 antibody detection against these agents was interpreted primarily as a vaccine-induced serological response.Therefore, not detection of Ch.abortus and N. caninum-specific antibodies indicate no exposure to the parasites.