Isolation and biological characterization of a variant pseudorabies virus strain from goats in Yunnan Province, China

Pseudorabies virus (PRV), the causative agent of Aujeszky's disease, is an infectious pathogen that significantly impacts the global swine industry. The broad host range of PRV enables it to infect various animals, including pigs, cattle, minks, dogs, and even humans. Although PRV infections in ruminants have been reported, the occurrence of natural PRV infection in goats has not been documented. In this study, we present compelling evidence through the characterization of clinical symptoms and detection and analysis using polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and sequence alignment, demonstrating the first case of a PRV variant infection that led to acute illness and death in goats in Yunnan Province, China. Our results indicated that all 10 serum samples from fattening pigs raised near the infected goats tested positive for PRV, suggesting that the PRV infection in goats may have resulted from shared feeding with PRV-infected fattening pigs. Consequently, this report not only underscores the potential threat posed by newly emerging PRV variant strains to the goat industry but also emphasizes the necessity for the development of effective and safe vaccines against PRV variants for goats and other ruminants in the future.