Etiological Detection, Isolation, and Pathogenicity of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus in China

Due to its high genomic variability, the epidemiological landscape of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) has become increasingly complex in recent years. From 2022 to 2023, we collected a total of 1044 clinical samples from pigs suspected of PRRSV infection in China and discovered a PRRSV-positive rate of 29.8% (311/1044) using RT-PCR targeting the nsp2 gene. Among these positive samples, NADC30/34-like PRRSV, highly pathogenic PRRSV (HP-PRRSV), and classical PRRSV strains accounted for 60.1%, 37.9%, and 4.5%, respectively. These results indicate that the most prevalent PRRSV strains in China are NADC30/34-like PRRSV, followed by HP-PRRSV. Two PRRSV strains, JX03 and HN08, were isolated, and TCID₅₀ assays were performed to determine their titers at different time points post-infection, revealing differences in their proliferation kinetics. Phylogenetic, amino acid sequence, and recombination analyses demonstrated that the JX03 and HN08 strains cluster within lineage 8 (HP-PRRSV) and sublineage 1.5 (NADC34-like PRRSV), respectively. Notably, the HN08 strain was identified as a recombinant between the NADC30-like and NADC34-like strains, while no recombination event was detected in the JX03 strain. Pathogenicity assessments showed that the JX03 strain exhibited higher pathogenicity than the CHN-HB-2018 strain (a NADC30-like PRRSV strain was previously isolated by our lab), as evidenced by differences in clinical signs and mortality rates in piglets. In contrast, HN08 displayed no obvious clinical symptoms or mortality, revealing lower pathogenicity than the CHN-HB-2018 strain. These findings provide valuable information on the epidemiological and genetic characteristics of PRRSV strains in China, laying a foundation for the development of effective strategies against PRRSV.