Neonatal meningoencephalitis associated with infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus

Abstract

The infectious bovine rhinotracheitis [IBR] virus (bovine herpesvirus 1) has a diverse pathogenicity associated with numerous clinical syndromes. These include a respiratory infection with severe inflammation of the upper respiratory mucosa, genital infections (infectious pustular vulvovaginitis [IPV] and infectious pustular balanoposthitis), conjunctivitis which can occur alone or together with infection of other systems, fetal infection with abortion, meningoencephalitis and a septicemia in young calves. Although IBR virus infection is widespread throughout the cattle industry, the encephalitic form is apparently rare.
Johnston et all in Australia reported both natural and experimental meningoencephalitis in two to six month old calves caused by a suspected new virus. After initial viral characterization, French named the new virus the N569 virus, only later to document that the N569 virus was actually the 1BR-1PV virus. This was the first reported case of meningoencephalitis caused by the infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus. Barenfus et at were the first to report IBR virus induced meningoencephalitis in the United States and since that time only a few natural cases have been reported. This case of meningoencephalitis in a two-week-old calf is presented because of the infrequency of the encephalitic form of IBR in the United States and the calf involved is younger than any previously reported cases.