Identification of a new bovine viral diarrhea virus subtype in the Republic of Korea

Background: Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is prevalent in Korean indigenous cattle, leading to substantial economic losses. This study was conducted to investigate the occurrence of BVDV. In 2016, a total of 143 blood samples were collected from asymptomatic Korean indigenous calves younger than 3-months of age from six different farms in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Results: Eighty-seven calves (60.8%, 87/143) were tested positive for BVDV as evaluated by RT-PCR analysis. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 5'-untranslated region was used to classify these cases into three subtypes: BVDV-1b, BVDV-1o, and BVDV-2a. These results showed that BVDV-1b was the predominant subtype, while 2 samples clustered with BVDV-2a. Interestingly, one sample formed a separate group as a potentially new subtype, BVDV-1o. To our knowledge, this is the first report of BVDV-1o infection in Korean native calves. The BVDV-1o subtype identified in this study was closely related to cattle isolates obtained from Japan, indicating that this subtype is a new introduction to the ROK. Conclusions: This study provides useful information for carrying out epidemiological surveys of BVDV in the ROK and developing a vaccine for future use in the ROK, particularly for the first detection of BVDV-1o in Korean indigenous calves. Further studies are required to investigate the prevalence and pathogenicity of this BVDV-1o subtype.