Enteroviruses of Animals

The classical techniques used to classify viruses have now been replaced by analyses of nucleotide sequence data. Many viruses previously classified as enteroviruses are now known to comprise new genera within the Picornaviridae. In consequence, several animal diseases such as Teschen (Talfan) disease are now associated with tescho-, rather than entero-, viruses. The most problematic animal enterovirus remains swine vesicular disease virus (SVDV) since this virus causes dermal lesions similar to foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). Although problematic in their own right, SVDV-induced dermal lesions lead to misdiagnoses of FMDV. In general, other animal enteroviruses cause mild or asymptomatic infections. Evidence has accumulated which indicates that enteroviruses can be transmitted from animals to man and vice versa. The high mutation rates of these viruses, combined with a high frequency of recombination, leads to rapid evolution within the new host.