Characterization and genome comparison of an Indian isolate of bidensovirus infecting the silkworm Bombyx mori.

The bipartite genome of an Indian isolate of Bombyx mori bidensovirus (BmBDV), one of the causative agents of the fatal silkworm disease 'Flacherie', was cloned and completely sequenced. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this Indian isolate of BmBDV revealed two viral DNA segments, VD1 and VD2 as well as a DNA polymerase motif which supports its taxonomical status as the type species of a new family of Bidnaviridae. The Indian isolate of BmBDV was found to have a total of six putative ORFs four of which were located on the VD1 with the other two being on the VD2 DNA segment.