Bombyx mori bidensovirus: The type species of the new genus Bidensovirus in the new family Bidnaviridae.

Bombyx mori bidensovirus ( BmBDV), which had been assigned to Densovirinae in Parvoviridae previously, replicates mainly in silkworm midgut olumnar cells and causes the fatal flacheric disease. In contrast to parvovirus, this virus possesses two single-stranded DNA genome segments and encodes a putative protein-primed DNA polymerase. The accumulating evidence suggests that it has unique characteristics different to parvovirus and adopts its own mechanisms for replication. So far, little is known about the replication mechanisms of BmBDV. In this review, we focus on the pathology associated with this virus and the viral biology such as viral genome structure, viral genes, and viral replication and expression strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]