Detection of bovine herpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) DNA in the cell fraction of milk of dairy cattle with history of BoHV-4 infection.

We have demonstrated, by PCR and restriction enzyme analysis of the PCR product, the presence of bovine herpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) DNA in the cell fraction of milk from dairy cattle with a history of BoHV-4 infection. We next evaluated the infectious nature of BoHV-4 DNA in those cells. Cocultivation of a BoHV-4-sensitive cell line with BoHV-4 DNA-positive milk cell samples produced cytopathic effects. The same result was obtained from frozen and thawed milk cell fraction coming from the cell milk fraction PCR-positive cows, ensuring that cells were killed and only infectious virus could be recovered after cocultivation with sensitive cells. This report shows that infectious BoHV-4 can be present in milk cells and that therefore nursing may be one of the transmission routes of BoHV-4.