Investigation of Rotavirus Infection in Calves with Diarrhea in Northeast Turkey

Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea in newborn calves. In this study, it was aimed to investigate frequency of Rotavirus infections in calves in Kars region in Northeast Turkey by feces sampling 112 diarrheic calves of 0-6 months old. Feces samples were tested for Rotavirus antigen by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Of the 112 feces samples examined by ELISA 10 samples were identified as positive (8.92%). At the molecular stage, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique was used to determine the presence of Rotavirus nucleic acid by using specific generic primers for VP6 genetic regions in feces samples. The 10 samples that were rotavirus antigen positive by ELISA were also positive on RT-PCR technique. The proportion of positivity in feces samples suggested that rotavirus infections are common in the Kars region in Northeast Turkey.