Experimental Airborne Transmission of Porcine Postweaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome

Abstract

The objective of these studies was to investigate if porcine postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) could be induced in healthy pigs following contact with air from pigs with clinical signs of PMWS. The pigs were housed in different units. Either 31 (study I) or 25 (study II) pigs with clinical symptoms of PMWS from a PMWS-affected herd and 25 healthy pigs from a PMWS-free, but PCV2-positive, herd were housed in unit A. Fifty pigs from a PMWS-free herd were housed in unit B, which were connected by pipes to unit A. In unit C, 30 pigs from a PMWS-free herd were housed as controls. In study II, the pigs in units A and B from the PMWS-free herd developed clinical signs of PMWS 2-3 weeks after arrival. PMWS was confirmed at necropsy and the diseased pigs had increased PCV2 load and increased antibody titers against PCV2 in serum that coincided with the development of clinical signs typical of PMWS. Sequence analysis revealed that the PCV2 isolate belonged to genotype 2b. In conclusion, the present study showed that PMWS can be induced in pigs from a PMWS-free herd by airborne contact with pigs from a PMWS-affected herd.

Revisiting Porcine Circovirus Infection: Recent Insights and Its Significance in the Piggery Sector

“…Apart from the oronasal route, which is the most likely means of horizontal transmission [ 82 ], other potential routes of PCV2 transmission are the nose-to-nose route [ 174 ] and fecal–oral route [ 175 ]. Surprisingly, not only the virus but also PMWS showed the potentiality of transmission from PMWS-affected pigs to healthy, unaffected pigs through direct contact or indirect airborne contact [ 176 , 177 ]. The virus might be present in nasal secretion, trachea-bronchial secretion, blood, urine, faces, oral fluid, milk, and semen [ 178 , 179 , 180 , 181 ].…”

Leaching of viruses and other microorganisms naturally occurring in pig slurry to tile drains on a well-structured loamy field in Denmark

“…Initial analysis showed that E. coli, Enterococcus spp., somatic coliphages, HEV, PCV2 and RV-A were present in the pig slurry and they were therefore all selected for analysis in the leaching study (Table 1). Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) was included as this virus is ubiquitous in swineherds and highly persistent in the farm environment (Kristensen et al 2013). Drainage water was sampled flow-proportionally (Plauborg et al 2003; ISCO 6700 sampler, Teledyne Isco Inc., US).…”