Cytopathic bovine viral diarrhea viruses (BVDV): emerging pestiviruses doomed to extinction.

ABSTRACT: Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a Flaviviridae pestivirus, is arguably one of the most widespread cattle pathogens worldwide. Each of its two genotypes has two biotypes, non-cytopathic (ncp) and cytopathic (cp). Only the ncp biotype of BVDV may establish persistent infection in the fetus when infecting a dam early in gestation, a time point which predates maturity of the adaptive immune system. Such fetuses may develop and be born healthy but remain infected for life. Due to this early initiation of fetal infection and to the expression of interferon antagonistic proteins, persistently infected (PI) animals remain immunotolerant to the infecting viral strain. Although only accounting for some 1% of all animals in regions where BVDV is endemic, PI animals ensure the viral persistence in

SUBMITTER: Peterhans E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2850149 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature