Bovine respiratory syncytial virus explained

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is pneumovirus closely related to human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that is a common cause of respiratory disease in cattle, particularly calves. It is a negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus that replicates in the cytoplasm of the cell.^[1] Similarly to other single-stranded RNA viruses, the genome of BRSV has a high mutation rate, which results in great antigenetic variation. Thus, BRSV can be split into four different subgroups based on antigen expression (A, B, AB, and intermediate).^[2]

Causes

In around 90% of cases, infection with BRSV results in secondary bacterial pneumonia due to interference with the host's immune system and enhancement of bacterial adherence and colonisation by the virus. Pasteurella multocida, a common commensal of the nasopharynx of cattle, appears to be the main bacterial agent in BRSV-related bovine respiratory disease (BRD).^[3]

Treatment

Similarly to other viral infections, treatment of BRSV is typically supportive. Anti-inflammatory drugs may be required to reduce fever and inflammation, which may increase the affected animal's food and water intake. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are preferred to corticosteroids due to the latter's immunosuppressive effects. In the case of a secondary bacterial infection, antimicrobials may be given. While commercial BRSV vaccines are available, appropriate biosecurity measures and animal husbandry may be sufficient to prevent spread of disease.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Larsen . L. E. . 2000-03-01 . Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV): A review . Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica . 41 . 1 . 1–24 . 10.1186/BF03549652 . 1751-0147 . 7996406 . 10920473 . free .
2. Makoschey . Birgit . Berge . Anna Catharina . 2021-07-31 . Review on bovine respiratory syncytial virus and bovine parainfluenza – usual suspects in bovine respiratory disease – a narrative review . BMC Veterinary Research . 17 . 1 . 261 . 10.1186/s12917-021-02935-5 . 1746-6148 . 8325295 . 34332574 . free .
3. Sudaryatma . Putu Eka . Nakamura . Kimika . Mekata . Hirohisa . Sekiguchi . Satoshi . Kubo . Meiko . Kobayashi . Ikuo . Subangkit . Mawar . Goto . Yoshitaka . Okabayashi . Tamaki . 2018-07-01 . Bovine respiratory syncytial virus infection enhances Pasteurella multocida adherence on respiratory epithelial cells . Veterinary Microbiology . en . 220 . 33–38 . 10.1016/j.vetmic.2018.04.031 . 0378-1135 . 7117154 . 29885798.
4. Valarcher . Jean François . Hägglund . Sara . Näslund . Katarina . Jouneau . Luc . Malmström . Ester . Boulesteix . Olivier . Pinard . Anne . Leguéré . Dany . Deslis . Alain . Gauthier . David . Dubuquoy . Catherine . Pietralunga . Vincent . Rémot . Aude . Falk . Alexander . Shevchenko . Ganna . March 2021 . Single-Shot Vaccines against Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV): Comparative Evaluation of Long-Term Protection after Immunization in the Presence of BRSV-Specific Maternal Antibodies . Vaccines . en . 9 . 3 . 236 . 10.3390/vaccines9030236 . 2076-393X . 8001206 . 33803302. free .