Genetic and antigenic variability of bovine respiratory syncytial virus and its influence on immunoprophylaxis

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is a virus of the Pneumovirus genus belonging to the subfamily Pneumovirinae of the Paramyxoviridae family. BRSV is one of the main infectious agents causing bovine diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract, affecting mainly young animals under the age of 9 months. It is responsible for high economic losses in the cattle industry around the world. The most effective and widely used method for limiting costs of infection with BRSV is immunoprophylaxis. Till now, this subject was rarely an object of interest in Polish scientific literature, therefore the aim of this article is to present current information on the types of available vaccines, their efficiency and safety. Additionally, a description of the variability of most immunogenic regions of BRSV and it is influence on the efficiency of the commonly used vaccines is included.