[Observational and experimental studies on relationship between domestic pigs and epidemic hemorrhagic fever...

Observational and experimental studies on the relationship between domestic pigs and epidemic hemorrhagic fever (EHF) were carried out during 1986 to 1994 with reverse passive hemagglutination (RPHA), reverse passive hemagglutination inhibition (RPHI), horse-radish peroxidase-staphylococcal protein A (HRP-SPA), indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and reverse transcript polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to understand the roles of domestic pigs played in the epidemic areas. Results showed domestic pigs could infect epidemic hemorrhagic fever virus (EHFV) naturally or experimentally, and EHFV could disseminate to many organs of the animals and caused transient pathologic changes in them. EHFV could duplicate within the animal bodies and be excreted out of the bodies with their excreta. Proportion of inapparent infection of EHF in people closely exposed to domestic pigs was significantly higher than in those without it. It indicated domestic pigs maybe played an important role in EHF as a reservoir host.