Epidemiological survey and genetic diversity of bovine coronavirus in Northeast China

ABSTRACT In 2020, to trace the prevalence and evolution of bovine coronavirus (BCoV) in China, a total of 1,383 samples (1,016 fecal samples and 367 nasal swab samples) were collected from 1,016 cattle exhibiting diarrhea symptoms on dairy farms and beef cattle farms in Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China. All samples were subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detection of the BCoV N gene, followed by an analysis of its epidemiology and genetic evolution. The results indicated that of the 1,016 diarrhea-affected cattle, 15.45% (157/1,016) were positive for BCoV, in which positive rates of the fecal and nasal swab samples were 12.20% (124/1,016) and 21.53% (79/367), respectively. Of the 367 cattle whose nasal swab samples were collected, the BCoV positive rate of the corresponding fecal samples was 15.26% (56/367). BCoV infection was significantly associated with age, farming pattern, cattle type, farm latitude, sample type, and clinical symptom (p