The virus can cause a significant reduction in the percentage of surviving lambs, thus it has a large economic impact on farmers.

While border disease is caused by border disease virus, in areas of the world where close contact between sheep and goats and cattle occurs, similar clinical signs may be caused in sheep and goats by bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV).

A slight fever and a mild leukopenia may be seen with a short-lived viremia, detectable between days 4-11 post infection, at which point the virus is neutralized by the animal's immune system.

After day 85, the lamb is most likely to be born normal with antibodies to the virus, given the state of the fetal immune system at this stage in gestation.

Fetal infection manifests as four syndromes: The animals that do survive to live birth will frequently show the 'hairy shaker' signs.

Fetuses that survive infection at this stage of gestation will be tolerant of the virus and their immune system will not properly respond to it.