Genetic diversity of bovine viral diarrhea virus in cattle from Mexico

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infects cattle populations worldwide, causing significant economic losses though its impact on animal health. Previous studies have reported the prevalence of BVDV species and subgenotypes in cattle from the United States and Canada. We investigated the genetic diversity of BVDV strains detected in bovine serum samples from 6 different Mexican regions. Sixty-two BVDV isolates from Mexico were genetically typed based on comparison of sequences from the 5′ untranslated region (5′-UTR) of the viral genome. Phylogenetic reconstruction indicated that 60 of the samples belonged to the BVDV-1 genotype and 2 to the BVDV-2 genotype. Comparison of partial 5′-UTR sequences clustered 49 samples within BVDV-1c, 8 samples within BVDV-1a, 3 samples within BVDV-1b, and 2 samples clustered with the BVDV-2a subgenotypes. Our study, combined with information previously published on BVDV field strain diversity in the United States and Canada, benefits the development of effective detection assays, vaccines, and control programs for North America.