ARS | Publication request: NATURAL RECOMBINATION IN CYTOPATHIC ISOLATES OF BOVINE VIRAL DIARRHEA VIRUS GENOTYPE 2

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: June 25, 1996
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Bovine viral diarrhea viruses (BVDV) can be segregated into two genotypes, BVDV 1 and BVDV 2, based on comparison of the 5' untranslated region of the viral genome. Most BVDV used in vaccines and diagnostic tests belong to genotype 1. In addition, most reports characterizing BVDV at the molecular level are based on analysis of BVDV 1. Viruses from both genotypes are characterized as cytopathic or noncytopathic based on their effect on infected cell cultures. It has been reported that some cytopathic BVDV 1 viruses have inserts into the region of the genome coding for the p125 polypeptide. Further, it is proposed that these insertions may trigger the switch from a noncytopathic to a cytopathic biotype. To determine if cytopathic viruses from the BVDV 2 also have insertions in the p125 coding region, genomic sequences coding for viral protein p125 were derived for 14 cytopathic BVDV 2 viruses. All 14 cytopathic BVDV 2 viruses had insertions sbut none of these insertions consisted of sequences coding for ubiquitin o duplicated viral sequences as reported for some BVDV 1 viruses. The inserted sequences detected in cytopathic BVDV 2 varied in length from 300 to 450 nucleotides and all contained sequences with >99% homology to a bovine genomic sequence of unknown function. This bovine sequence has also been reported in one BVDV 1 virus, the BVDV1-NADL vaccine virus. Analysis of inserted sequences suggest that BVDV 2 isolates may recombine with both host cell sequences and the BVDV1-NADL vaccine virus.