Viruses cause numerous economically important diseases in animals and birds. Animal viruses include those that cause human infections and others that mutate to cause human infections. SARS virus of animal origin brings about the occurrence of human infection and emphasizes the importance of viruses inhabiting animals. Influenza viruses that persist in the hosts of nature birds sometimes infect humans. Research on animal viruses contributes to the understanding of common virus infections. (Reference: Animal Virus: Molecular Biology ISBN: 978-1-904455-22-6)
Foot-and-mouth disease virus
Foot and Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) is a picornavirus and is responsible for acute systemic vesicular disease affecting cattle worldwide. This is a highly variable and highly contagious virus. Viral genome is a component of single-stranded positive RNA.
Pestivirus
Pestiviruses cause animal diseases such as classical swine fever (CSF) and bovine viral diarrhea / mucosal disease (BVD / MD). These are notifiable diseases and eradication programs are being implemented in various countries around the world. Animal pestiviruses share many similarities with human hepaciviruses. Pestiviruses can establish persistent infections that are often not noticed.
Artelvirus
These viruses are classified in the order of Nidovirales. Artelivirus is a small wrapped virus with a regular icosahedral core containing a positive sense RNA genome. Equine arteritis virus (EAV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), lactate dehydrogenase removal virus (LDV) and spot stain hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) all belong to this virus family. Arterial viruses share a variety of biological properties such as morphology, structural proteins, genomic organization, replication strategies, and the ability to establish long-term or persistent infections, but are highly species-specific.
Coronavirus
These viruses are plus-chain enveloped RNA viruses. This group of viruses is an important pathogen of mammals and birds. They cause intestinal or respiratory tract infections in various animals including humans, domestic animals and pets. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV. CoV-based vectors have potential for vaccine development and gene therapy. (Reference: Coronaviruses: Molecular and Cellular Biology ISBN: 78-1-904455-16-5)
Hendra and Nipah virus
Paramyxovirus Hendra virus (HeV) and Nipah virus (NiV) have emerged in humans and domestic animals in Australia and Southeast Asia. Both viruses are highly contagious, highly virulent, infecting many mammals and can cause fatal illness.
Avian influenza
A wide variety of influenza A viruses infect wild waterfowl. Occasional viruses are transmitted from these birds to other species, which can cause a devastating outbreak of domestic poultry or cause a human influenza pandemic.
Bluetongue virus
The Bluetongue virus (BTV) causes serious illness to livestock (sheep, goat, bovine). The part attributable to this BTV is at the forefront of scientific research and now represents one of the most well understood viruses at the molecular and structure level. It is a complex non-enveloped virus with seven structural proteins and a double-stranded RNA genome. (Reference: Segmented double-stranded RNA virus ISBN: 978-1- 904455-21-9)
Porcine circovirus
Porcine circovirus (PCV) is the smallest virus that can autonomously replicate in eukaryotic cells. They are unwrapped and spherical and contain a single-stranded DNA genome covalently attached. Two kinds of PCVs are known. Porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV 1) does not cause disease, but porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV 2) causes multiple organ disappearance syndrome (PMWS), a pig emerging multifactorial disease.
Animal herpesvirus
Herpesvirus infects animals and humans. There are a wide variety of herpesviruses with different biological properties. In animals, the most important herpesvirus belongs to the family of alphaherpesviridae. Pseudorabies virus causes Aujeszky's disease in pigs and is widely studied as a model of the basic process during lytic herpesvirus infection. Bovine herpesvirus 1 causes bovine infectious rhinotracheitis and pustular vulvovaginitis. Avian influenza laryngotracheitis virus is phylogenetically different from these two viruses.
African swine fever virus
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a large double-stranded DNA virus that replicates into the cytoplasm of infected cells. It causes viral hemorrhagic fever with high pig mortality, but persistently infects natural hosts with no signs of disease, rabbits, bush pigs and soft ticks.
