Wernike Kerstin, Gethmann Jörn, Pfaff Florian, Sauter-Louis Carola, Beer Martin
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, Greifswald - Insel Riems, 17493, Germany.
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, Greifswald - Insel Riems, 17493, Germany.
Vet Microbiol. 2025 Oct;309:110697. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2025.110697. Epub 2025 Aug 28.
Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a globally significant pathogen of cattle, causing significant reproductive failure, immunosuppression, and economic losses. In Germany, a national bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) control program was initiated in 2011, aiming to eliminate the virus through systematic testing and early removal of persistently infected (PI) animals, supported by optional vaccination in the early stage of the program, biosecurity measures, and trade with certified unsuspicious cattle only. By 2024, the PI prevalence among newborn calves had declined from 0.473 % in 2011 to just 0.001 %, with only 46 PI calves detected among over 4 million tested each year. Virus subtyping based on sequencing of the 5' untranslated region of positive samples identified BVDV-1d as the predominant subtype in most affected federal states though with sequence variation between states, while BVDV-1b was limited to Schleswig-Holstein. Comparisons with publicly available sequences reveal that for some federal states the highest nucleotide identity exists to local strains, while for others there are indications of virus introductions from other European countries. Limited transmission and localized virus persistence are suggested by within-state sequence homogeneity and between-state variation. These findings highlight the significant success of Germany's BVDV eradication strategy, which led to 99.994 % BVDV-free herds and thereby demonstrated that systematic identification and removal of PI animals, combined with surveillance and biosecurity, can drive virus prevalence to near-elimination levels. Continued molecular monitoring and rapid response to residual cases remain essential to prevent re-emergence and to safeguard the progress achieved toward national BVDV eradication.
牛病毒性腹泻病毒（BVDV）是一种在全球范围内对牛具有重要影响的病原体，可导致严重的繁殖失败、免疫抑制和经济损失。在德国，2011年启动了一项全国性牛病毒性腹泻（BVD）控制计划，旨在通过系统检测和早期清除持续感染（PI）动物来消除该病毒，该计划早期阶段通过选择性疫苗接种、生物安全措施以及仅与经认证无嫌疑的牛进行贸易来提供支持。到2024年，新生犊牛中的PI患病率已从2011年的0.473%降至仅0.001%，每年在超过400万头检测的犊牛中仅检测到46头PI犊牛。基于阳性样本5'非翻译区测序的病毒亚型分析确定，BVDV-1d是大多数受影响联邦州的主要亚型，尽管各州之间存在序列变异，而BVDV-1b仅限于石勒苏益格-荷尔斯泰因州。与公开可用序列的比较表明，对于一些联邦州，与本地毒株的核苷酸同一性最高，而对于其他一些州，则有迹象表明病毒是从其他欧洲国家引入的。州内序列同质性和州间变异表明传播有限且病毒呈局部持久性。这些发现凸显了德国BVDV根除战略的重大成功，该战略使99.994%的牛群无BVDV，从而表明系统识别和清除PI动物，结合监测和生物安全措施，可将病毒流行率降至近乎消除的水平。持续的分子监测和对残留病例的快速反应对于防止病毒重新出现和维护在全国根除BVDV方面取得的进展仍然至关重要。
