Herpesvirus bovine 5 (BoHV-5) is the agent of bovine herpetic menigoencephalitis. The neurological disease associated with the infection is highly lethal in young cattle and it is widespread in Brazil. Control of the clinical signs caused by herpesviruses is based mainly on the immunization of cattle. A comparative study was performed among Brazilian BoHV-5 isolates to select the more antigenic virus. Inactivated vaccines were formulated using isolates ISO9898292, SV507, SV163, 1807 and EVI145 and administered to five groups of 10 sheep, each animal receiving two intramuscular doses with a 21 days interval. Blood collection for serology by virusneutralization were performed until the 63rd day after the first vaccination, two peaks in the curve of antibodies were observed, the first on day 14, ranged from 23.l to 138.6. The second peak was observed 14 days after the booster, and ranged from 301.3 to 1017.5. In the 42nd day after the booster, it was observed a titer variation from 82.4 to 305.9. The differences among antibody titers of each group of suggests a lower antigenicity of isolate ISO9898292 in comparison with the others, demonstrating a possible antigenic variation among the isolates. Thus, all isolates, with exception of ISO9898292, were immunogenic for the induction of neutralizing antibodies.
bovine herpesvirus 5; bovine menigoencephalitis; seroneutralization; vaccines
