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Abstract. The porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) is an increasingly important cause of decreased swine productivity and is characterized by slow growth, decreased feed efficiency, anorexia, cough, and dyspnea. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is among the most prevalent and important infectious agents associated with PRDC. Understanding of mycoplasmal pneumonia has been hindered by inadequate diagnostic methods. Many of the currently available tests are relatively insensitive or nonspecific when used in a diagnostic laboratory setting or are too costly or difficult for routine diagnostic use. Several polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays have been described, but they are not sensitive enough to detect the microorganisms in live pigs, from either nasal or tracheal swabs. A nested PCR using 2 species-specific sets of primers from the 16S ribosomal DNA gave positive results with as little as 80 microorganisms and did not cross-react with other mycoplasma species or with other microorganisms commonly found in the respiratory tract of pigs. This assay was better suited for detection of M. hyopneumoniae from nasal swabs than was conventional PCR. Nasal swab samples were taken at different time periods following experimental challenge of 10 susceptible pigs. Only 2 of the 55 swabs examined gave a positive result with conventional PCR, whereas 30 of the 55 swabs gave a positive result using the nested PCR. Twenty of 40 (50%) nasal swabs from pigs experiencing a respiratory disease outbreak where M. hyopneumoniae had been diagnosed also gave a positive result with the nested PCR. To confirm that the amplified product was specific, 4 nested PCR products were purified, sequences were determined and aligned, and they were confirmed to be from M. hyopneumoniae.

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The aim of this work was to characterise the lesions and agents present in clinically normal and clinically affected pigs on a farm during an outbreak of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), and to evaluate the diagnostic techniques for detecting porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) and other microorganisms. Four pigs in the early stage and 11 pigs in the late stage of the disease, and eight clinically normal pigs were necropsied. Samples of lymphoid tissue and serum were also obtained from 12 slaughter pigs from the same farm. The tissues were examined histopathologically, and in situ hybridisation, serology and PCR were used to detect porcine circovirus type 1 (PCV-1) and/or PCV-2 in tissues and/or sera. The presence of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) and porcine parvovirus (PPV) were also investigated. Characteristic microscopical lesions of PMWS were observed in the lymphoid tissues of the pigs in all three necropsied groups; the lesions were most common and severe in the pigs in the early stage of the disease, less so in the pigs in the late stage of the disease, and least in the clinically normal pigs. PCV-2 infection was detected in all the necropsied pigs by in situ hybridisation and PCR. Only three pigs had the PCV-1 genome in serum or lymph node tissue. In contrast, the slaughter pigs had no microscopical lesions and no PCV-2 nucleic acid in their serum or tissues, and only one of them had the pCV-1 genome in its serum. Immunohistochemical, serological and PCR studies revealed that PRRSV and ADV were also present on the farm during the outbreak.

-The objective of this work was to investigate the susceptibility of rabbits and mice experimentally inoculated with porcine circoviruses type 1 (PCV1) and type 2 (PCV2) to infection and development of disease and/or lesions. Forty six New Zealand rabbits and 50 ICR-CD1 mice were both divided into two groups comprising PCV1 and PCV2 inoculated animals, and a third group inoculated with non-infected cell culture medium. Rabbits were inoculated intranasally while mice were inoculated intraperitoneally. Clinical signs and body weights were recorded at the start of the experiment and at necropsy. Animals were bled, euthanised and necropsied at days 0, 3, 7, 10, 14 and 20 post-inoculation and samples were collected for histopathological, serological, in situ hybridisation and PCR analysis. No clinical signs or gross and microscopic lesions compatible with PCV2 infections such as those seen in pigs were observed. No presence of PCV2 nucleic acid was detected in rabbits and mice by in situ hybridisation. Only one mouse inoculated with PCV1 seroconverted on day 20 PI. PCV1 and PCV2 genome was detected in serum by PCR in mice inoculated with each porcine circovirus, while rabbits were negative for both viral types. These studies indicated that porcine circoviruses did not cause any disease or microscopic lesions in inoculated rabbits and mice during the experimental period. However, intraperitoneally inoculated mice might have harboured PCV2 in circulation without evidence of viral replication. chacun divisés en deux groupes comprenant des animaux inoculés avec PCV1 et PCV2, et un troisième groupe inoculé avec un milieu de culture non-infecté. Les lapins ont été inoculés par voie intranasale et les souris par voie intrapéritonéale. Les signes cliniques et le poids des animaux ont été enregistrés au début de l'expérience et au moment de l'autopsie. Aux jours 0, 3, 7, 10, 14 et 20 après inoculation, le sang des animaux a été prélevé, puis les animaux ont été euthanasiés et ont subi une autopsie ; des échantillons ont été prélevés pour des analyses histopathologique, sérologique, d'hybridation in situ et de PCR. Aucun signe clinique ni lésion macro-ou microscopique correspondant à ceux observés chez les porcs infectés par PCV2 n'ont été détectés. Aucune présence d'acide nucléique de PCV2 n'a été détectée chez les lapins et les souris par hybridation in situ. Seule une souris inoculée par PCV1 est devenue séropositive au jour 20 post-inoculation. Les génomes de PCV1 et PCV2 ont été détectés par PCR dans le sérum de souris inoculées par chacun des circovirus, alors que les lapins sont restés négatifs pour chacun des types. Ces études indiquent que les circovirus porcins n'ont provoqué aucune maladie ou lésion microscopique chez les lapins et les souris inoculés durant toute la durée de l'expérimentation. Cependant, les souris inoculées expérimentalement pourraient avoir hébergé du virus PCV2 dans la circulation sanguine sans signe de réplication virale.lapin / souris / circovirus porcin / réaction en chaîne par polym...

Infection with PCV2 coincided with severe clinical signs; however, infected 28-week-old pigs did not have evidence of disease. Immunity declined over time in young pigs. A long duration of PCV2 viremia was apparent in a high percentage of infected pigs, which may affect transmission and persistence of the virus in a herd.