A study was undertaken regarding the prevalence of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) antibodies in bovine sera which tested negative for rinderpest and peste des petits ruminants virus antibodies. The samples were collected between January 1996 and December 1997. A total of 439 samples (327 cattle and 112 buffalo from 17 states of India) were tested using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The mean prevalence of BVDV antibodies in cattle was 15.29% (50/327) in 16 states compared to 23.21% (26/112) in buffalo in 9 states, with an overall prevalence of 17.31% (76/439) in 17 states. The serological evidence that BVDV infection is widespread in India is of utmost practical importance because of the clinical resemblance to rinderpest. A differential diagnosis between these two diseases is critical in view of the declaration by India of provisional freedom from rinderpest disease; active sero-surveillance is to begin in 2000 to achieve certification of freedom from rinderpest infection by the Office International des Epizooties.