Pestivirus control programs: how far have we come and where are we going?

Classical swine fever (CSF) is endemic in large parts of the world and it is a major threat to the pig industry in general. Vaccination and stamping out have been the most successful tools for the control and elimination of the disease. The systematic use of modified live vaccines (MLV), which are very efficacious and safe, has often preceded the elimination of CSF from regions or countries. Oral vaccination using MLV is a powerful tool for the elimination of CSF from wild boar populations. Bovine virus diarrhea (BVD) is endemic in bovine populations worldwide and programs for its control are only slowly gaining ground. With two genotypes BVD virus (BVDV) is genetically more diverse than CSF virus (CSFV). BVDV crosses the placenta of pregnant cattle resulting in the birth of persistently infected (PI) calves. PI animals shed enormous amounts of virus for the rest of their lives and they are the reservoir for the spread of BVDV in cattle populations. They are the main reason for the failure of conventional control strategies based on vaccination only. In Europe two different approaches for the successful control of BVD are being used: Elimination of PI animals without or with the optional use of vaccines, respectively.