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Molecular Characterization of Pestiviruses in Fetal Bovine Sera Originating From Argentina

Andrea Pecora1,2*Maria Sol Perez Aguirreburualde3Julia Francis Ridpath4 and María José Dus Santos1,2

    • 1Center of Veterinary Sciences and Agronomic Investigations, Institute of Virology, INTA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • 2National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • 3Center for Animal Health and Food Safety, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
    • 4Ridpath Consulting, LLC, Gilbert, IA, United States
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Serological evidence suggests that HoBi-like viruses, an emerging species within the Pestivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family, are in circulation in Argentina. While HoBi-like viruses were first isolated from Brazilian fetal bovine serum (FBS), no survey of Argentine FBS has been conducted. Therefore, 124 local samples of non-irradiated FBS originating from Argentina were surveyed for the presence of pestiviruses using RT-PCR. Amplicons from pestivirus positive samples were genotyped. Four samples were positive for HoBi virus-specific RT-PCR, while the BVDV-positive samples (n = 45) were classified as BVDV-1b (82.2%), BVDV-1a (13.3%), and BVDV-2 (4.5%).