Bovine virus diarrhoea virus: an introduction.
In view of the recently established genome organisation of pestiviruses, their classification as members of the togavirus family is no longer tenable. They should rather be provisionally considered as a new genus of the Flaviviridae, irrespective of differences in the nonstructural genes. Like other positive-stranded RNA viruses, pestiviruses are highly variable; apart from point mutations, recombinations are expected to contribute to their capricious behaviour. One trait of expected pathogenetic significance in infections with bovine virus diarrhoea virus is a change from the non-cytopathogenic to a cytopathogenic biotype. Cooperation of both variants in an animal to produce the severe disease picture known as mucosal disease is unique in virology; elucidation of this mechanism may shed light on the pathogenesis of other sporadic diseases with suspected viral origin.
Horzinek
M C
MC
Department of Virology, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Veterinary Faculty, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
D000818:Animals; D001912:Bovine Virus Diarrhea-Mucosal Disease / Q000382:microbiology*; D002417:Cattle; D001908:Diarrhea Viruses, Bovine Viral / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology