Rinotraqueítis infecciosa bovina: determinación de la prevalencia de anticuerpos en vacas mexicanas no vacunadas de los estados de Tabasco, Puebla y Veracruz

The present study was carried out in 20 herds dedicated to cattle production with the objective of: 1- to evaluate the prevalence of antibodies against infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) in non- vaccinated cows (N=359) from the States of Tabasco, Puebla and Veracruz, Mexico; 2- to study the effect of such antibodies on pregnancy rate; 3- to estimate (literature review) the national mean prevalence. Two blood samples were taken from each cow, with an interval from 3.5 to 4.0 months. The presence of antibodies was determined by the ELISA test. At both samplings, the State of Puebla (34.0 and 41.2%) showed lower prevalence (P 0.05) to that of cows with antibodies (54.3 vs 55.7%). In conclusion, 1) the States of Tabasco and Veracruz showed higher prevalence than the State of Puebla; 2) 100% of the herds had antibodies against IBR, suggesting that the IBR virus is widely distributed in the three States; 3) a great variation existed among herds and among Municipalities, with prevalence being close to 100% in several cases; 4) the presence of antibodies against IBR did not influence pregnancy rate; and 5) the national mean prevalence was 56.4%. It is recommended that the State Government Agencies responsible of the animal’s health, implement strategies of prevention and control against IBR.