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ARS Research Targets
Bovine Viral Diarrhea
and Other Pestiviruses
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A new type of pestivirus in wildlife
has been identified by Agricultural Research
Service scientists. "Pestivirus" is a scientific term for a group
of viruses that includes economically important ones such as bovine viral
diarrhea (BVD) viruses and hog cholera virus, also known as classical swine
fever virus. Pestiviruses can also cause reproductive failure and congenital
defects in ruminant animals.
Microbiologist Julia F. Ridpath and others at ARS' National Animal Disease
Center (NADC) in Ames, Iowa, characterized the new virus, which was isolated
from antelope tissues by Wyoming State University researchers.
"While no disease is yet associated with the new pestivirus, its presence
in wildlife is significant because wildlife come in close contact with domestic
livestock and can transmit disease," says Ridpath. The identification of
this new pestivirus is the result of ongoing research being done at NADC to
improve the detection and control of pestiviruses.
Research on pestiviruses dates back to the 1930s, when USDA researchers showed
that hog cholera was caused by a virus. They developed a test and a vaccine
that led to eradication of hog cholera in the United States in 1978.
Current pestivirus research at NADC focuses on BVD viruses, which circulate in
cattle herds, leading to lower milk production, poor feed conversion, and
significant reproductive problems. They are the most important enteric viral
agents of cattle in the United States. Although many commercial vaccines exist
for BVD viruses, they continue to be one of the most costly disease problems
facing U.S. cattle producers. Losses could be reduced if a quick, reliable, and
technically simple test were available to field veterinarians.
With the goal of producing improved vaccines and diagnostics, ARS and ImmuCell
Corporation of Portland, Maine, have entered into a research agreement to
develop quicker, field-ready tests for detecting BVD viruses. And ARS and
Intervet, Inc., of Millsboro, Delaware, have entered into a research agreement
to develop a new, more effective vaccine for BVD viruses.—By
Linda
McGraw, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff.
Julia F. Ridpath is in the
USDA-ARS Virus
and Prion Diseases of Livestock Research Unit, National Animal Disease
Center, P.O. Box 70, Ames, IA 50011; phone (515) 663-7372, fax (515) 663-7458.
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"ARS Research Targets Bovine Viral Diarrhea and
Other Pestiviruses " was published in the
October 2001
issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
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Last Modified: 02/09/2005
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