Experimental intranasal infection reveals broad tissue tropism of bovine coronavirus.

ABSTRACT: Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) causes neonatal calf diarrhea, winter dysentery, and respiratory disease worldwide. However, its primary replication site remains uncertain, and systemic studies on tissue tropism are limited. We, therefore, intranasally inoculated colostrum-fed Holstein calves (6-13-day-old) with a BCoV isolate derived from diarrheic calf, and monitored clinical signs, gross and histopathological lesions, antigen distribution, and viral replication in multiple tissues. All calves were seropositive before challenge. Infected animals developed diarrhea without respiratory manifestations. Viral RNA appeared first in nasal swabs and subsequently in feces, yet viral load in nasal secretions was not associated with clinical signs. Apart from enlargement of the mesenteric lymph nodes, n

SUBMITTER: Cho HC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12866565 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature