Genomic characterization of pestiviruses isolated from lambs and kids in southern Italy

A nested polymerase chain reaction was used to identify 13 pestivirus strai ns isolated from small ruminants in several mixed (sheep and goats) flocks of Southern Italy, and for classification as bovine viral diarrhoea virus ( BVDV) type 1, BVDV type 2, and Border disease virus (BDV) genotypes. Of the nine ovine isolates, two were characterized as BVDV type 1, and seven as B VDV type 2. The four pestiviruses isolated from kids belong to BVDV type I. None of the pestivirus strains tested could be classified as 'true' BDV (g enotype 3). Although BVDV type 2 has been described in Europe rarely, the c haracterization of BD/90-1M strain as BVDV type 2, isolated in Italy in 199 0, demonstrates that this genotype has been circulating in Italy since the 1990s. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.