Pestivirus Epidemiology and Viral Pathogenesis

Pestiviruses are enveloped RNA viruses within the Flaviviridae family that pose significant threats to global livestock production. Prominent species include classical swine fever virus (CSFV), bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) and the recently described atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV). These agents employ diverse transmission routes—direct contact, vertical transmission and persistent subclinical carriage—to maintain endemic and epidemic cycles across domestic herds and wild reservoirs such as wild boar. Surveillance data reveal that atypical pestiviruses can circulate at low prevalence in apparently healthy adults yet cause severe congenital tremors in neonates, indicating a complex interplay between viral persistence, host immunity and developmental pathology. Pathogenesis is driven by viral attachment to host cells via the E2 glycoprotein, followed by subversion of innate defences. Pestiviruses encode unique proteins—Npro and Erns—that degrade key interferon regulators and cleave viral RNA to inhibit interferon induction. Concurrently, infected cells undergo profound metabolic reprogramming and utilising autophagy to modulate antiviral signalling pathways. The resulting immune evasion strategies underpin virus survival, tumour necrosis factor dysregulation and tissue pathology. Control relies on robust vaccination, marker diagnostics and biosecurity, yet the emergence of novel lineages and vaccine-escape variants underscores the need for continued epidemiological vigilance and mechanistic studies of viral pathogenesis.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between APPV genome presence in newborn piglets and congenital tremor syndrome. High viral loads were localised in cerebellar granule cells, lymphoid tissues and neural ganglia, supporting a neurotropic and lymphotropic disease profile. Retrospective analyses of archived samples confirmed that APPV has circulated undetected in Europe since at least 2007. Comparative genomic investigations revealed considerable sequence diversity among APPV strains, with phylogenetic reconstructions suggesting an origin in central Europe followed by global dissemination. These findings have reshaped our understanding of pestivirus emergence, highlighting the role of subclinical adult carriers in seeding congenital outbreaks and emphasising the necessity of molecular surveillance in both domestic and wild suid populations.

Pestivirus Epidemiology and Viral Pathogenesis publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in pestivirus epidemiology and viral pathogenesis across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Pestivirus: A genus of enveloped, positive-sense RNA viruses in the Flaviviridae family that infect ungulates and cause systemic disease.

E2 glycoprotein: Surface protein mediating viral attachment and entry into host cells, and primary target of neutralising antibodies.

Interferon: Host cytokines that induce antiviral gene expression and orchestrate innate immune defences against viral infection.

Autophagy: Intracellular degradation pathway that can be co-opted by viruses to modulate host metabolism and immune signalling.

Npro protein: Unique pestivirus protease that antagonises antiviral defences by promoting degradation of interferon regulatory factor 3.

References

1. Presence of atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV) genomes in newborn piglets correlates with congenital tremor. Scientific Reports (2016).
2. Congenital infection with atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV) is associated with disease and viral persistence. Veterinary Research (2017).
3. The regulation of cell homeostasis and antiviral innate immunity by autophagy during classical swine fever virus infection. Emerging Microbes & Infections (2023).
4. Current progress on innate immune evasion mediated by Npro protein of pestiviruses. Frontiers in Immunology (2023).
5. Pestiviruses infection: Interferon-virus mutual regulation. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology (2023).
6. Development of a dual immunochromatographic test strip to detect E2 and Erns antibodies against classical swine fever. Frontiers in Microbiology (2024).