Eradication of bovine viral diarrhea virus in Germany-Diversity of subtypes and detection of live-vaccine viruses

Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) causes high economic losses in the cattle population worldwide. In Germany, an obligatory control program with detection and removal of persistently infected animals is in force since 2011. For molecular tracing of virus transmission, a comprehensive sequence data base of the currently circulating BVD viruses was established. Partial sequences of 1007 samples collected between 2008 and 2016 were generated. As dominant viruses, subtypes 1b (47.0%) and 1d (26.5%) could be identified with no marked geographic or sampling year effect, a much higher amount of BVDV-2c was detected in 2013 compared to other years, predominantly in Western Germany. In addition, subtypes 1a, 1e, 1f, 1h, 1g, 1k, and 2a were found. Interestingly, besides field-viruses, two different live-vaccine viruses were detected in tissue samples of newborn calves (n = 37) whose mothers were immunized during pregnancy.