Oral immunization induces local and distant mucosal immunity in swine

Transmission of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in semen and reproductive disease in pregnant swine might be reduced by vaccines that induce mucosal immunity in the reproductive tract. Cholera toxin (CT), when delivered orally, is a potent mucosal adjuvant and immunogen in swine. To determine if oral immunization additionally elicits immunity at distant mucosal surfaces, we examined antibody responses to CT-B subunit in the reproductive tract and oral cavity. Orally administered CT induced distant mucosal immunity, as measured by antibodies to CT-B subunit in saliva and vaginal secretions. Presentation of PRRSV nucleocapsid as a genetic fusion with CT resulted in local mucosal antibody production, but no response was observed in vaginal secretions. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using orally administered CT for the induction of immunity to reproductive pathogens in swine. However, effective induction of PRRSV-specific immune responses in the reproductive tract requires a better understanding of the mechanisms of antigenicity and adjuvanticity at distant mucosal sites.     

基于多重PCR的寡核苷酸基因芯片检测猪瘟病毒,猪繁殖与呼吸障碍综合征病毒及猪圆环病毒1型和2型

为了建立一种可同时检测区分猪瘟病毒(CSFV),猪繁殖与呼吸障碍综合征病毒(PRRSV)和猪圆环病毒2型(PCV-2)的寡核苷酸基因芯片方法,本研究针对每种病毒设计了4条～6条寡核苷酸探针,检测低限为1.6×104PCV-2拷贝数/μL,1.6×104CSFV拷贝数/μL,1.6×105PRRSV拷贝数/μL,比琼脂糖凝胶灵敏约10倍。利用建立的寡核苷酸基因芯片方法对76个仔猪样本进行了检测,检出了3种病毒的存在,其中25个样本(32.9%)同时感染了2种以上病毒。结果表明寡核苷酸基因芯片检测是一种快速、灵敏和高效的猪只混合感染病毒的病原学诊断方法。     

山东种公猪精液携带主要病原的检测

采用PCR技术,对2007年-2009年山东部分地区的38个猪场和人工授精站的生产公猪精液样品727份进行了猪瘟病毒(CSFV)、猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒(PRRSV)、伪狂犬病病毒(PRV)、猪圆环病毒2型(PCV-2)和猪细小病毒(PPV)5种主要病原的检测。结果检出CSFV、PRRSV、PRV、PCV-2和PPV的阳性数和阳性率分别为18份(2.48%)、27份(3.71%)、7份(0.96%)、33份(4.54%)、9份(1.24%),有7份样品为2种以上病原混合感染,其中以PRRSV+PCV-2混合感染最多。结果表明精液传播病毒仍是当前母猪繁殖障碍的重要原因之一,应重点加强对种公猪的疫病净化和公猪精液管理,从源头控制传染源。     

Swine diseases transmissible with artificial insemination

The transport of fresh and frozen semen to be used for artificial insemination creates a mode of disease transmission between farms. Normally, semen contains a number of nonpathogenic bacterial contaminants; however, excessive bacterial contamination can result in infertile matings. Contamination with a known pathogen, eg, Brucella suis, could initiate a serious outbreak of disease in a recipient herd. Methods to minimize bacterial contamination of semen include sanitary collecting and processing of semen, isolation of boards from certain pathogens, and the addition of appropriate broad spectrum or combination antibiotics to the semen. Mycoplasmas also have been isolated from semen, although transmission by this route is unlikely. The addition of an appropriate antimycoplasmal antibiotic to semen may be warranted in some situations. Numerous viruses have been detected in semen. Their exclusion from semen is especially critical because of their ability to survive in frozen semen. These viruses include pseudorabies virus, porcine parvovirus, enterovirus, adenovirus, vesicular disease virus, and African swine fever virus. The likelihood of disease transmission is greater with the introduction of a boar into a herd than through the use of fresh or frozen semen. We believe that artificial insemination allows for the introduction of new genetics into a breeding program, with minimal risk of disease transmission.     

Retrospective analysis of etiologic agents associated with respiratory diseases in pigs

Twenty-eight hundred and seventy-two cases of respiratory disease in pigs were analyzed for their etiologic agents. Two or more pathogens were detected from 88.2% of the cases, indicating that porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) or swine influenza virus (SIV) combined with other bacterial agents was a common cause for porcine respiratory diseases in the mid-western USA.     

种公猪精液中与繁殖障碍有关的6种病毒的检测

采用PCR和RT-PCR技术,于2006年4月～10月对上海及其周边地区的30个猪场和人工授精站的生产公猪精液样品355份进行了猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒(PRRSV)、猪伪狂犬病病毒(PRV)、猪细小病毒(PPV)、猪圆环病毒(PCV)、猪瘟病毒(CSFV)和日本脑炎病毒(JEV)等6种与猪繁殖障碍有关的病毒的检测,结果表明,日本脑炎病毒检测为阴性,检出PRRSV、PRV、CSFV、PPV和PCV阳性数和阳性率分别为6份(1.69%)、9份(2.54%)、5份(1.41%)、75份(21.1%)、6份(1.69%),有一个猪场的5份样品存在PRV和PPV混合感染.     

Polymicrobial respiratory disease in pigs

Respiratory disease in pigs is common in modern pork production worldwide and is often referred to as porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC). PRDC is polymicrobial in nature, and results from infection with various combinations of primary and secondary respiratory pathogens. As a true multifactorial disease, environmental conditions, population size, management strategies and pig-specific factors such as age and genetics also play critical roles in the outcome of PRDC. While non-infectious factors are important in the initiation and outcome of cases of PRDC, the focus of this review is on infectious factors only. There are a variety of viral and bacterial pathogens commonly associated with PRDC including porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), swine influenza virus (SIV), porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (MHYO) and Pasteurella multocida (PMULT). The pathogenesis of viral respiratory disease is typically associated with destruction of the mucocilliary apparatus and with interference and decrease of the function of pulmonary alveolar and intravascular macrophages. Bacterial pathogens often contribute to PRDC by activation of inflammation via enhanced cytokine responses. With recent advancements in pathogen detection methods, the importance of polymicrobial disease has become more evident, and identification of interactions of pathogens and their mechanisms of disease potentiation has become a topic of great interest. For example, combined infection of pigs with typically low pathogenic organisms like PCV2 and MHYO results in severe respiratory disease. Although the body of knowledge has advanced substantially in the last 15 years, much more needs to be learned about the pathogenesis and best practices for control of swine respiratory disease outbreaks caused by concurrent infection of two or more pathogens. This review discusses the latest findings on polymicrobial respiratory disease in pigs.     

猪瘟、猪圆环病毒病和猪繁殖与呼吸综合征寡核苷酸芯片诊断方法的建立与初步应用

猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒（PRRSV）、猪瘟病毒（CSFV）和猪圆环病毒Ⅱ型（PCV-2）是引发猪繁殖障碍的主要病原,建立其基因芯片快速检测体系,对开发猪繁殖障碍快速检测试剂盒具有重要意义。根据GenBank中已发表的PRRSV、CSFV和PCV-2的病毒基因组序列,设计合成特异性引物和特异性较强的60mer的寡核苷酸探针,并将探针按所设计阵列固定于表面经氨基化修饰的玻片上,制备出寡核苷酸芯片。通过引物标记及特异性验证,建立了带标记引物的多重PCR检测体系,从而产生大量可与寡核苷酸探针特异性互补的带标记的DNA片段。将标有荧光染料的扩增产物与芯片上寡核苷酸探针杂交,扫描、分析芯片上荧光信号。结果表明,芯片上各样本对应探针位点呈现阳性荧光信号,而阴性对照和空白对照则基本不能检测到荧光信号。分别用基因芯片检测方法和PCR/RT-PCR检测60份临床病料,两者符合率高达92%,表明该检测技术能够用于临床病料的检测及快速诊断PRRSV、CSFV和PCV-2。     

Transmission of swine pathogens: different means, different needs

There seems to be two main types of pathogens that cause diseases in swine: those that are mainly introduced through direct pig contacts, and those that are often, and in some situations mainly introduced by indirect transmission means. In this review, the mange mite (Sarcoptes scabiei), toxigenic Pasteurella multocida and Brachyspira hyodysenteriae will be used as examples of the first type, and foot and mouth disease virus, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus as examples of the second. It is now clear from various epidemiological studies as well as experimental and field data that aerosol transmission of some swine pathogens plays an important role in their epidemiology. As previous biosecurity programs did not take this factor into consideration, it can at least partially explain why many of these programs suffered frequent failures and why air filtration is now becoming increasingly popular in North America. Identifying and quantifying transmission means should be a priority for every important infectious disease for which it has not been done.     

Association of porcine circovirus type 2 with vascular lesions in porcine pneumonia

The aim of this study was to evaluate the vasculature in porcine circovirus type 2-infected (PCV2-infected) lungs and to identify the PCV2 subtypes involved in porcine pneumonia. Pulmonary samples from 140 pigs, 2 weeks to 7 months of age, from 36 Hungarian commercial herds with clinical signs of respiratory disease were examined for the presence of respiratory pathogens, with bacterial culture, pathologic evaluation, and immunohistochemistry for PCV2, porcine reproductive respiratory syndrome virus, and swine influenza virus. PCV2 was the most commonly identified pathogen (49 cases) among the 74 of 140 cases (53%) with respiratory pathogens. PCV2 was detected immunohistochemically in the wall of 13% to 100% of pulmonary vessels (mean, 89%) in 38 of 49 cases (78%). Detection of PCV2 antigen was positively correlated with the presence of vascular lesions (P < .001, odds ratio [OR]: 159.54). Other pathogens capable of vascular injury in swine were found in 29 of 49 of the PCV2-positive cases (59%). The probability of detecting vascular lesions in PCV2-infected lung was higher than in infection with porcine reproductive respiratory syndrome virus (P < .002, OR: 14.63), Pasteurella multocida infection (P < .001, OR: 5.75), or Streptococcus spp. infection (not significant, OR: 1.45). Sequence analysis of open reading frame 2 amplicons was possible in 6 PCV2-positive cases, from which 5 cases proved to be PCV2b subtype and 1 case, PCV2a subtype. In conclusion, PCV2 antigen was commonly colocalized with pulmonary vascular lesions in pneumonia in Hungarian swine, and PCV2b was the dominant subtype.     

肝素调控猪嗜中性粒细胞对精子的趋化和吞噬作用

为降低由人工授精诱导的猪子宫局部免疫反应,从而提高其人工授精效率,在含有10%血清的培养液中添加不同浓度的肝素(0、100、500、1000μg/mL),检测猪嗜中性粒细胞(PMNs)对猪精子的吞噬性和趋化性。结果表明,100~1000μg/mL的肝素可显著抑制猪PMNs对精子的吞噬性(P<0.01)和趋化性(P<0.05)。提示肝素可作为猪精液稀释液的保护成分,降低由人工授精所导致的子宫炎症反应,从而提高猪的人工授精受胎率。     

A proper assessment of boar sperm function may not only require conventional analyses but also others focused on molecular markers of epididymal maturation

In swine, predicting the fertilizing ability of boar ejaculates before using seminal doses for artificial insemination purposes is very important for pork breeders. Routinely, semen quality is evaluated by means of sperm concentration, viability, motility and morphology. However, in some cases, these spermiogram parameters may not be precise enough to detect altered/non-functional spermatozoa within boar ejaculates that may yield lower reproductive performance. The present work reviews the conventional parameters most used for assessing porcine semen quality, and it also describes other markers recently found that may help for evaluating more accurately the boar sperm function and survival. These markers are related to alterations induced by defective spermatogenesis, epididymal maturation or sperm handling.     

猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒致病机理的研究进展

猪繁殖与呼吸综合征(PRRS)是由猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒(PRRSV)引起的一种以妊娠母猪严重繁殖障碍及仔猪的呼吸道症状和高死亡率为特征的传染病。现已遍及世界各主要养猪国家和地区,成为危害养猪业最严重的传染病之一。作者就猪繁殖与呼吸综合征病毒致病机理方面的研究情况作一综述,为诊断技术、免疫机理研究、疫苗设计和疫病防制提供借鉴。     

Virus survival in slurry: analysis of the stability of foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever, bovine viral diarrhoea and swine influenza viruses

Farm slurry can be highly contaminated with viral pathogens. The survival of these pathogens within slurry is important since this material is often distributed onto farm land either directly or after heat treatment. There is clearly some risk of spreading pathogens in the early stages of an outbreak of disease before it has been recognized. The survival of foot-and-mouth disease virus, classical swine fever virus, bovine viral diarrhoea virus and swine influenza virus, which belong to three different RNA virus families plus porcine parvovirus (a DNA virus) was examined under controlled conditions. For each RNA virus, the virus survival in farm slurry under anaerobic conditions was short (generally ≤ 1 h) when heated (to 55°C) but each of these viruses could retain infectivity at cool temperatures (5°C) for many weeks. The porcine parvovirus survived considerably longer than each of the RNA viruses under all conditions tested. The implications for disease spread are discussed.     

International Conference on Boar Semen Preservation (ICBSP): the first 25 years

The International Conference on Boar Semen Preservation (ICBSP) has been in existence for 25 years. During that time, six conferences have been held in Europe and North America. Each conference has sought to communicate research advances in pig semen technology and artificial insemination (AI). Clearly, the conference has been a catalyst for the advancement of various improvements in semen preservation and AI. In addition, the conference has served to initiate collaboration among scientists worldwide. A summary of problems that remain to be investigated and solved in swine semen technology is provided.     

Identification of viral pathogens in aborted fetuses and stillborn piglets from cases of swine reproductive failure in Spain

The objective of the present study was to determine the presence of recognised abortifacient viruses such as porcine reproductive and respiratory virus (PRRSV), Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV), porcine parvovirus (PPV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), in tissues from aborted fetuses and stillborn neonates in cases of late reproductive failure in swine. A total of 293 specimens (fetuses aborted in the last third of gestation and stillborn piglets) from 100 different cases of late-term abortions and premature farrowing from 15 different Spanish provinces were studied. PRRSV was detected in 9/100 cases by RT-PCR. Only 1/100 cases analysed (corresponding to a late-term aborted fetus with a negative PRRSV RT-PCR result) was positive for PCV2 by PCR. Neither ADV (monitored by viral isolation plus antigen detection) nor PPV (monitored by ELISA antigen capture test) infection was identified. The results suggest that PRRSV is one of the most important infectious agents, if not the most relevant one, associated with fetal infection leading to abortion or premature farrowing in Spain. Moreover, other viral pathogens such as ADV, PPV and PCV2 seem to have a minor impact on reproductive disease.     

Exposure of feral swine (Sus scrofa) in the United States to selected pathogens

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) are widely distributed in the United States. In 2011 and 2012, serum samples and tonsils were recovered from 162 and 37 feral swine, respectively, in the US to evaluate exposure to important swine endemic pathogens. Antibodies against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) were found in 2.5% and 25.3% of tested sera, respectively. Positive serological reactions against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae have been detected in 19.7% and 69.7% of animals. More than 15% of animals presented antibodies against these 2 pathogens simultaneously. Most animals were also seropositive for Lawsonia intracellularis. Feral swine can also be involved in transmission of zoonotic agents. Almost 50% of animals possessed antibodies against Salmonella. In addition, 94.4% of animals were carriers of Streptococcus suis in their tonsils. In conclusion, feral swine may be considered as a potential reservoir for different endemic diseases in domestic pigs, as well as for important zoonotic agents.     

Artificial insemination of small ruminants - a review

Artificial insemination (AI) can undoubtedly be regarded as the oldest and most widely used assisted reproductive technique/technology (ART) applied in livestock production and it is one of the most important ARTs. The three cornerstones of its application are that it is simple, economical and successful. Artificial insemination offers many well-known benefits for producers. Fresh, fresh + diluted + chilled and frozen semen can be used for AI in small ruminants. To ensure its successful use, the AI technique must be selected on the basis of the type of semen planned to be used. This review paper gives a detailed overview of semen processing and its effects on semen quality, as well as of the AI techniques applied in small ruminants and their success rates.     

2004年广东省主要猪病血清学调查和分析

通过对2004年广东省猪病血清学检测结果的调查和分析,说明诸如蓝耳病毒、圆环Ⅱ型病毒和衣原体等引起的繁殖障碍病依然严重地危害着大部分猪场,伪狂犬病毒在猪场中的净化取得了一定的成效,蓝耳病毒和圆环Ⅱ型病毒经常合并感染,并且协同破坏病猪的免疫力,使猪场疫病更难控制.     

Association of porcine circovirus 2 with porcine respiratory disease complex

A retrospective study was performed on natural cases of porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) to determine the association and prevalence of PRDC with porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) and other co-existing pathogens in Korea. Histologically, alveolar septa were markedly thickened by infiltrates of mononuclear cells. Moderate to marked multifocal peribronchial and peribronchiolar fibrosis were present and often extended into the airway lamina propria. Among the 105 pigs with PRDC, 85 were positive for PCV2, 66 were positive for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), 60 were positive for porcine parvovirus (PPV), and 14 were positive for swine influenza virus (SIV). There were 80 co-infections and 25 single infections. A co-infection of PCV2 with another additional bacterial pathogen is frequently diagnosed in PRDC. The combination of PCV2 and Pasteurella multocida (38 cases) was most prevalent followed by PCV2 and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (33 cases). The consistent presence of PCV2, but lower prevalence of other viral and bacterial pathogens in all pigs examined with PRDC, has led us to speculate that PCV2 plays an important role in PRDC.