A bi-cistronic, reporter-encoding bovine viral diarrhea virus applied in a new, effective diagnostic test.

Infections with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) have a huge economic impact on cattle production and reproduction worldwide. A key factor for BVDV surveillance and eventual eradication is to efficiently detect infections and to monitor herd immunity. In this study, we generated a stable, bi-cistronic BVDV that encoded EGFP in addition to the viral proteins. Applying this recombinant virus, a new flow-cytometry-based virus neutralization test was established that enabled accurate and reliable detection of field-virus-infected and vaccinated animals. The test, which is simple and fast, is expected to support novel, effective screening procedures in eradication and vaccination programmes.