Immunohistochemical Distribution of Viral Antigens in Pigs Naturally Infected with Porcine Teschovirus

Abstract

ABSTRACT. A distribution of porcine teschovirus (PTV) antigens in pigs naturally infected with PTV is presented using the method of immunohistochemical examination. In the nervous system, PTV antigens were found in the cytoplasm of neuronal cells and glial cells distributed in the spinal ventral horn and brain stem, and also in the cytoplasm of ganglion cells in the spinal ganglion. No antigens were seen in the cerebral hemisphere. In the nervous system, the distribution of PTV antigens was consistent with lesions characteristic of nonsuppurative encephalomyelitis. In the other examined organ, PTV antigens were observed in bronchiolar epithelial cells in the lung, hepatocytes in the liver, epithelial cells in the tonsils and the myenteric nerve plexus in the small and large intestine. KEY WORDS: immunohistochemistry, porcine teschovirus, swine.

Teschen disease (Teschovirus encephalomyelitis) eradication in Czechoslovakia: a historical report

“…The presence of porcine Teschovirus antigen has been demonstrated by immunochemical methods in the nerve cells of the brain stem and in the spinal cord and ganglion cells of the spinal ganglion from infected pigs (Yamada et al, 2007). The distribution of porcine Teschovirus antigens was consistent with lesions characteristic of nonsuppurative encephalomyelitis (Yamada et al, 2008). Sequencing of field isolates collected from animals presenting with neurological disorders, prove that serotypes other than porcine Teschovirus-1 may also cause polioencephalomyelitis of swine (Zell et al, 2001).…”

Characterization of strain PTV-2 USA/IA65463/2014 and strain PTV-11 USA/IA09592/2013 of Teschovirus A: Experimental inoculation, distribution of nucleic acids and development of Teschovirus encephalomyelitis

“…The most relevant transmission route for PTV is the fecal-oral route [4,42,67]. After ingestion, the virus replicates in the tonsils and in different segments of the gastrointestinal tract [68]. The large intestine and ileum appear to be more prone to primary replication when compared to other segments of the gastrointestinal tract; although, viral replication has been demonstrated in other sections of small intestine.…”

“…After replication in the original infected cell and posterior cellular lysis, the virus is thought to gain access to blood and lymphatic vessels and results in a viremia. The detection of viral antigens by immunohistochemistry in the myenteric nerve plexus in the small and large intestine indicates that this structure is a potential replication site of the virus [68].Replication in neurons innervating the gastrointestinal tract appear to be a strategy used by the virus to gain access to the CNS by retrograde axonal transport.…”