The complete Npro coding sequences were determined for 16 pestiviruses isolated from cattle, pig, and several wild ruminant species including reindeer, bison, deer, and bongo. Phylogenetic analysis enabled the segregation of pestiviruses into the established species bovine viral diarrhea virus-1 (BVDV-1), BVDV-2, border disease virus (BDV), and classical swine fever virus (CSFV). For BVDV-1 five distinct subgroups were identified, while BVDV-2, BDV, and CSFV were each subdivided into two subgroups. The virus isolates from bongo and deer as well as one porcine virus isolate belong to BVDV-1. Interestingly, the isolates from reindeer and bison are distinct from the established pestivirus species. The Npro sequences from these two viruses are more similar to BDV than to the other pestivirus species. Calculation of the pairwise evolutionary distances allowed a clear separation of the categories species, subgroup, and isolate only when the reindeer/bison viruses were considered as members of an additional pestivirus species. Furthermore, the entire E2 coding sequences of a representative set of virus isolates covering all recognized species and subgroups were studied. Segregation of pestiviruses based on the E2 region was identical with that obtained with the N(pro) sequences.

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Two new classical swine fever virus (CSFV) isolates obtained from naturally infected swine were found to exhibit a cytopathogenic (cp) phenotype. According to their reactivity with monoclonal antibodies (mabs) the isolates cpBW1 and cpMVP1 were classified as antigenic types "Lothringen'92" and "Flandern'90", respectively. In Northern blot analyses and PCR assays CSFV RNA of subgenomic length was detected in infected cells indicating the presence of defective interfering particles. Nucleotide sequencing of cDNA fragments obtained by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR allowed to localize in the genomes of the cpMVP1 and cpBW1 DIs deletions of 4,764 and 4,746, respectively. From the latter isolate a noncytopathogenic (noncp) biotype was obtained by cloning in cell culture. CSFV cpBW1 and a noncp isolate were used separately for infection of pigs. Viremia occurred much quicker after infection with cp virus and clinical signs were more prominent compared to animals infected with noncp virus.