Bluetongue virus (BTV) (BTV)

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus and the type species of the genus Orbivirus in the family Reoviridae (Mertens et al., 2005). It is the causative agent of bluetongue, a significant veterinary disease affecting ruminants, including sheep, cattle, goats, and deer, characterized by vascular damage, edema, and hemorrhage (Maclachlan et al., 2009). The virus is transmitted by hematophagous midges of the genus Culicoides, making its spread highly dependent on environmental and climatic factors (Purse et al., 2005). The BTV particle is a complex non-enveloped structure composed of three concentric protein layers surrounding a genome of ten segments (Belhouchet et al., 2011). While BTV itself is a pathogen rather than a single molecular target, its individual components, particularly the outer capsid protein VP2 and the highly conserved core protein VP7, are the primary targets for neutralizing antibodies and diagnostic detection (Huismans and van Dijk, 1990). Therapeutic intervention is currently limited to prophylactic vaccination and vector control, as there are no widely approved antiviral drugs for clinical use in affected livestock (Savini et al., 2008).

Other names

BTVOrbivirusBluetongue disease virusOvine catarrhal fever virus

Vaccines work by inducing neutralizing antibodies, primarily against the VP2 protein, which prevents the virus from attaching to and entering host cells (Huismans and van Dijk, 1990). Experimental antiviral approaches have explored the use of RNA interference (RNAi) or small molecules like ribavirin to inhibit viral replication by targeting the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (VP1) (Stassen et al., 2012).