Experimental rotavirus infection in three-week-old pigs

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Virology
• Animal Pathology

Background:

• Porcine rotavirus (PRV) is a significant enteric pathogen in piglets.
• Understanding PRV pathogenesis in young pigs is crucial for developing effective control strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize an experimental model of porcine rotavirus infection in 3-week-old pigs.
• To evaluate the clinical signs, pathological changes, and viral shedding in pigs inoculated with PRV.

Main Methods:

• Oral inoculation of 3-week-old pigs with a defined dose of PRV.
• Monitoring of clinical signs (diarrhea, anorexia, vomiting) and daily observations.
• Postmortem examination, including histopathological assessment of small intestinal villi.
• Viral detection in feces and extraintestinal tissues using cell culture and electron microscopy.

Main Results:

• All inoculated pigs exhibited diarrhea, anorexia, and vomiting within 30 hours post-inoculation.
• Severe villus blunting was observed in the jejunum and ileum between days 3 and 5 post-inoculation.
• Virus was consistently detected in feces, with one extraintestinal isolation from lung tissue.
• Clinical signs resolved by day 6 post-inoculation, with villi nearing normal length.

Conclusions:

• A reproducible experimental model for studying porcine rotavirus infection in 3-week-old pigs has been established.
• The model effectively mimics key clinical and pathological features of natural PRV infection.
• This model provides a valuable tool for future research into PRV pathogenesis and therapeutic interventions.