Prevalence of bovine virus diarrhoea virus infection in Belgian white blue cattle in southern Belgium.

A study was conducted in Southern Belgium to determine the prevalence of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) infection in Belgian White Blue herds. Blood samples were taken from 9685 cattle, representing all the stock on 61 farms, by local veterinarians to screen for persistently infected animals and to determine their serological status against BVDV. Some of the herds (42.

Characterization of a high molecular weight antigen of Cryptosporidium parvum micronemes possessing epitopes that are cross-reactive with all parasitic life cycle stages.

Crossreacting antigens between life cycle stages of Cryptosporidium parvum (Protozoa, Apicomplexa) were detected using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Shared epitopes were demonstrated by immunoelectron microscopy, at the level of micronemes of the sporozoite and merozoite stages; some dense granules were also labelled but not so intensively. The parasitophorous vacuole membranes of all intracellular stages, the wall-forming bodies of macrogametes and the outer oocyst walls all shared these epitopes.

Production of monoclonal antibodies to study the molecular biology of bovine viral diarrhea virus.

Five monoclonal antibodies produced against bovine viral diarrhea virus were characterized for some of their biological activities. All of them bound to varying degrees to pestivirus strains but failed to neutralize the virus. One of the antibodies immunoprecipitated four polypeptides presumably involved in viral envelope organization.