Experimental infection of Korean native goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) with bovine viral diarrhea virus 1b

Background: Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infects various ungulates and causes reproductive failure in infected goats. BVDV has been detected among goats in the Republic of Korea, but the route of transmission remains unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate whether BVDV-1b circulating among Korean cattle can be transmitted to Korean native goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) and characterize the outcomes of BVDV infection in these goats. Results: Four goats were inoculated intranasally with the Korean noncytopathic (ncp) BVDV-1b strain. Two goats exhibited clinical signs of illness, including coughing and nasal discharge. Nasal swabs and blood were collected to screen for viral RNA and BVDV antibodies. Using the 5′-untranslated region (UTR), viral RNA was detected in the nasal swabs of two goats (Goat 1 and 3) on 12 day post-inoculation (dpi) and in the blood sample of one goat (Goat 1) on 7 and 19 dpi. Using the N-terminal protease (N^pro) region, viral RNA was detected in the blood sample of Goat 1 on 7 and 12 dpi. Antibodies to BVDV were detected in Goats 1 and 3 on 16-21 dpi using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Sequence analysis of the virus from nasal swabs and blood samples, which was detected via RT-PCR, using the 5′-UTR and N^pro regions led to the identification of the strain as ncp BVDV-1b and revealed changes in the nucleotide sequence of these goats. Conclusions: Our results indicate that changes in the nucleotide sequence are associated with the establishment of BVDV infection in Korean native goats; these changes may be owing to a process required for the establishment of infection in a new host reservoir. Broadly, these findings highlight the importance of BVDV surveillance in ungulates other than cattle.