Pathogenesis of classical swine fever: B-lymphocyte deficiency caused by hog cholera virus

Hog cholera, also known as classical or European swine fever, is caused by hog cholera virus, a member of the genus Pestivirus. It is shown here that the end stage of lethal infection in the natural host is associated with a dramatic depletion preferentially of B lymphocytes in the circulatory system as well as in lymphoid tissues. Already at the onset of disease, viral replication in lymphoid tissues demarcates the germinal centers, and the viral genome remains localized to that site as the disease progresses even after morphologic disintegration of the follicular structure. A block in B-lymphocyte maturation by infection and destruction of germinal centers is discussed as a key event in the pathogenesis of acute, lethal hog cholera.