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Transmissible gastroenteritis
1Agricultural and Food Research Council, Institute for Animal Disease Research, Compton, Newbury, Berkshire.
The Veterinary Record
|May 7, 1988
Summary
Transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) virus causes severe piglet mortality. Current vaccines fail to induce protective immunity, necessitating research into virus-host interactions for effective TGE control.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Virology
- Immunology
- Animal Health
Background:
- Transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) virus, a coronavirus, causes acute small intestine infections in pigs.
- While rarely fatal in adult pigs, TGE leads to high mortality rates in neonates.
- TGE has become endemic in some regions, with an antigenically related respiratory virus also prevalent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To understand the interaction between TGE virus and the pig host.
- To identify strategies for achieving effective piglet immunity against TGE.
- To develop prospective vaccines that can stimulate protective immune responses.
Main Methods:
- Investigating the migration of antibody-producing cells to the mammary gland post-sow infection.
- Utilizing monoclonal antibodies to map antigenic sites on the TGE virus particle.
- Employing genetic engineering techniques to study the roles of viral genes in pathogenesis and immunity.
Main Results:
- Established the location and number of virus neutralization antigenic sites using monoclonal antibodies.
- Demonstrated that antibody-producing cells migrate to the mammary gland, secreting neutralizing antibodies into milk.
- Initiated studies on the role of other viral genes in TGE pathogenesis and immunity.
Conclusions:
- Effective TGE vaccines must elicit virus-neutralizing antibodies in sow milk.
- Understanding virus-host interactions is crucial for developing successful TGE vaccines.
- Further research using genetic engineering will elucidate TGE pathogenesis and immunity.