Genetic Variability of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus in Persistently Infected Cattle
Date
2013-09-16
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Abstract
Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is an economically significant pathogen of cattle
worldwide. The primary propagators of the virus are immunotolerant persistently infected (PI)
cattle, which constantly shed large quantities of virus throughout life. The current study has
characterized the viral variability in multiple body compartments of PI cattle through analysis of
E2 and NS5B sequences. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that BVDV exists as a
quasispecies distribution within PI cattle. Viral variants were not strictly compartmentalized,
although the central nervous system was implicated as an important viral reservoir that may play
a role in the emergence of neurovirulent strains. Additionally, vertical transmission of PI resulted
in a genetic bottleneck, which is likely followed by generation of diversity by polymerase
infidelity and selection processes thereafter. The identification of quasispecies within PI cattle
exemplifies the role of this host in viral propagation and highlights the complex dynamics of
BVDV pathogenesis, transmission, and evolution.
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Keywords
Virology
Citation
Dow, N. (2013). Genetic Variability of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus in Persistently Infected Cattle (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26272