[Epidemiologic and experimental studies on epidemic haemorrhagic fever virus in pigs]

In order to study the roles of pigs with epidemic haemorrhagic fever virus, epidemiologic and experimental studies were carried out in pigs. Aetiological, serological and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques were performed. Results showed that not only pigs could be infected with EHFV under natural or experimental conditions but susceptible to EHFV as well. Virus may disseminate to many organs of the animals through blood and cause transient pathologic changes. EHFV duplicates inside the animal bodies and be excreted to cause pollution of environment. It is possible that pigs serve as sources of EHF infection. Our research data also showed for the first time that EHEV were vertically transmitted through the placenta of pigs. There was no evidence showing that people raising pigs were symptomatically sick due to EHF infection.