Epidemiology, Molecular Epidemiology and Evolution of Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus.docVIP

Viruses 2012, 4, 3452-3467; doi:10.3390/v4123452 OPEN ACCESS viruses ISSN 1999-4915 /journal/viruses Review Epidemiology, Molecular Epidemiology and Evolution of Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus Rosa Elena Sarmiento-Silva 1, Yuko Nakamura-Lopez 2 and Gilberto Vaughan 3,* 1 Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, Delegación Coyoacán, México, D.F. 04510, Mexico; E- Mail: rosass@unam.mx (R.E.S-S.) 2 Consejo Estatal para la Prevencion y Control del Sida-Centro Ambulatorio para la Prevencion y Atencion del Sida e ITS (COESIDA-CAPASITS) Oaxaca, Mexico; E-Mail: yuko@unam.mx (Y. N.) 3 Instituto de Diagnóstico y Referencia Epidemiológicos, Carpio 470, Col. Santo Tomas, Mexico D.F. 11340, Mexico; E-Mail: gilvaughan@ (G.V.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: gilvaughan@ (G.V.); Tel.: +52-55-5342-7563; Fax: +52-55-5342-1230. Received: 29 October 2012; in revised form: 22 November 2012 / Accepted: 23 November 2012 / Published: 30 November 2012 Abstract: The bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is an enveloped, negative sense, single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the pneumovirus genus within the family Paramyxoviridae. BRSV has been recognized as a major cause of respiratory disease in young calves since the early 1970s. The analysis of BRSV infection was originally hampered by its characteristic lability and poor growth in vitro. However, the advent of numerous immunological and molecular methods has facilitated the study of BRSV enormously. The knowledge gained from these studies has also provided the opportunity to develop safe, stable, attenuated virus vaccine candidates. Nonetheless, many aspects of the epidemiology, molecular epidemiology and evolution of the virus are still not fully understood. The natural course of infection is rather complex and further