Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV)

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a small, enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the genus Pestivirus within the family Flaviviridae (ICTV, 2023). It is a major pathogen in cattle, causing significant economic losses due to respiratory disease, reproductive failure, and the development of fatal mucosal disease in persistently infected animals (Peterhans et al., 2010). The viral genome encodes a polyprotein that is processed into structural (C, Erns, E1, E2) and non-structural (Npro, p7, NS2-3, NS4A, NS4B, NS5A, NS5B) proteins (UniProt, 2024). In drug discovery, BVDV is frequently utilized as a surrogate model for the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) because they share similar replication strategies and genomic organization (Buckwold et al., 2003). Therapeutic strategies target essential viral enzymes, particularly the NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and the NS3 protease/helicase, to inhibit viral replication (Newcomer et al., 2017). Control of the virus primarily relies on rigorous testing for persistently infected individuals and the implementation of vaccination programs (StatPearls, 2023).

Other names

Pestivirus APestivirus BBVDV-1BVDV-2Mucosal disease virus

The primary mechanisms of action for drugs targeting BVDV involve the inhibition of the NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) to prevent viral RNA synthesis, and the inhibition of the NS3 serine protease to block the processing of the viral polyprotein (Newcomer et al., 2017; UniProt, 2024).