What is the diagnostic gap?
In a pregnant cow, BVDV can be transplacentally transmitted to the fetus, which can result in the birth of a persistently infected (PI) calf. Moreover, when a mother cow has experienced BVDV infection, antibodies against the virus are present in her colostrum. During lactation, the newborn calf consumes colostrum that contains maternal antibodies, possibly against BVDV. These antibodies will mask the virus and lead to a reduced virus titer in blood of the calf creating what’s referred to as a diagnostic gap the window of time in which the virus remains hidden. This gap makes it difficult to detect the virus in a calf during its first 120 days. Highly sensitive, BoVir® closes this diagnostic gap by detecting viruses even within the very first days of birth despite maternal antibodies that may mask the infection.
