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Immunosuppression in postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome affected pigs.
Joaquim Segalés1, Mariano Domingo, Francesca Chianini
1Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain. joaquim.segales@uab.es
Veterinary Microbiology
|January 27, 2004
Summary
Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) may cause secondary immunodeficiency in pigs with postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). Clinical and pathological findings suggest immunosuppression, necessitating further research into PCV2
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Immunology
- Swine Pathology
- Virology
Background:
- Postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) is a significant disease in pigs.
- Clinical signs of PMWS include poor response to antibiotics and concurrent infections, suggesting immunosuppression.
- Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is implicated in PMWS pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the clinical, pathological, and immunological aspects of PMWS.
- To investigate the potential role of PCV2 as a cause of secondary immunodeficiency in pigs.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical observations.
- Analysis of pathological and immunohistological findings.
- Flow cytometry studies of immune cell populations.
Main Results:
- PMWS is characterized by lymphocyte depletion and macrophage infiltration in lymphoid tissues.
- Affected pigs show decreased circulating B- and T-cells and increased macrophage/monocyte lineage cells.
- These immune alterations suggest a transient inability to mount an effective immune response.
Conclusions:
- Clinical and pathological evidence strongly suggests an immunosuppressive status in PMWS-affected pigs.
- PCV2 is suspected to be a cause of secondary immunodeficiency under specific conditions.
- Further studies are required to elucidate the precise role of PCV2 in the porcine immune system.