Molecular Characterization of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Infection from Boer Goats

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is an economically important viral pathogen of the cattle industry worldwide. BVDV has a very broad host range and can infect domestic and wild ruminants as well as swine. Recently, the goat industry has increasingly developed in the Republic of Korea (ROK). However, very limited information is available about BVDV infection in goats. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of BVDV infection in goats and determine the subtype of BVDV circulating in the ROK. Between 2018 and 2019, a total of 659 blood samples were collected from Boer goats in the ROK. All these goats did not exhibit any clinical signs. Thirtyone (4.7%) samples were identified to be positive for BVDV infection by RT-PCR. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 5'- untranslated region revealed that 27 samples and 1 sample were classified into BVDV1b and BVDV-2a, respectively. BVDV-1b isolates identified in goats exhibited genetic variation. This may have occurred under the following scenarios: interspecies transmission, pre-adaptation in goat, and goat-to-goat transmission. To our knowledge, this is the first report of BVDV-1b infection in goats in the ROK. The results have important implications for goat production. These results suggest that goats may act as virus reservoir hosts for BVDV infection. The information highlights the importance for the control and prevention of BVDV infection in goats.