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Rotavirus replication in colostrum-fed and colostrum-deprived pigs
D P Shaw1, L G Morehouse, R F Solorzano
1Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia 65211.
American Journal of Veterinary Research
|November 1, 1989
Summary
Colostrum-deprived piglets are highly susceptible to rotavirus, developing severe diarrhea and mortality. Colostrum-fed piglets shed rotavirus but show no significant clinical signs or pathology.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Virology
- Animal Pathology
Background:
- Porcine rotavirus is a significant pathogen affecting neonatal swine.
- The role of maternal antibodies, transferred via colostrum, in protecting piglets against rotavirus infection is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the pathogenicity of a specific porcine rotavirus isolate in neonatal pigs.
- To compare the effects of the rotavirus in colostrum-fed versus colostrum-deprived piglets.
Main Methods:
- Titration of a porcine rotavirus isolate in MA-104 cell culture.
- Oral inoculation of neonatal colostrum-fed and colostrum-deprived pigs with varying dilutions of the rotavirus stock.
- Clinical observation, necropsy, histopathological examination of tissues, and virus isolation (including electron microscopy) from feces and systemic organs.
Main Results:
- Colostrum-deprived pigs inoculated with rotavirus developed severe diarrhea, high mortality, and intestinal villous atrophy.
- Colostrum-fed pigs shed rotavirus in feces but exhibited no significant clinical signs or pathological changes.
- Rotavirus was detected in systemic organs (lungs, brain, spleen) of both groups, but more frequently in colostrum-deprived pigs.
Conclusions:
- Maternal antibodies in colostrum confer significant protection against rotavirus-induced disease in neonatal pigs.
- Colostrum deprivation leads to high susceptibility to rotavirus, resulting in severe enteric disease and potential systemic spread.