This article reports the preliminary characterization of 19 Brazilian bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) isolates, regarding the biological, antigenic and molecular properties. Eleven viruses were isolated from bovine fetuses, six were obtained from blood of animals from herds with reproductive problems, and two were isolated from clinical cases of gastroenteric disease. The clinical cases affected young animals and were characterized by diarrhea, oronasal and digestive erosions and ulceration, and occasional digestive bleeding and vulvar petechial hemorrhage. Sixteen isolates (84.2%), including those obtained from fetuses and clinical cases, were of the non-cytopathic (ncp) biotype. Replication of three isolates (15.8%) in tissue culture was characterized by appearance of cellular vacuolation and progressive destruction of the monolayers. Analysis of these isolates after cloning revealed a mixed population of cytopathic (cp) and non-cytopathic viruses. Analysis of viral polypeptides by SDS-PAGE followed by "Western immunoblot" revealed the production of the non-structural protein NS3/p80 in cells infected with the cp viruses. In contrast, generation of NS3/p80 was not observed in cells infected with the ncp isolates, which only expressed the precursor polypeptide NS23/p125. Analysis of reactivity with a panel of 15 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) revealed a marked antigenic variability among the isolates, mainly in the envelope glycoprotein E2/gp53. Although one MAb to this glycoprotein recognized 18 isolates (94.7%), the other nine E2/gp53 MAbs recognized zero to 57.9% of the isolates. The marked antigenic diversity observed among the brazilian BVDV isolates may have important implications on diagnosis and immunization strategies.
Bovine viral diarrhea virus; BVDV; biotypes; antigenic diversity
