tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Pathogens
. 2023 Aug 11;12(8):1031.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens12081031. Experimental Infection of Pigs with a Traditional or a Variant Porcine Respiratory Coronavirus (PRCV) Strain and Impact on Subsequent Influenza A Infection
Gaurav Rawal[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jianqiang Zhang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Patrick G Halbur[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Phillip C Gauger[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chong Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tanja Opriessnig[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV) pathogenicity in pigs has been characterized using traditional PRCV isolates; however, information is lacking on pathogenicity of currently circulating PRCV isolates. Recently, a contemporary US PRCV variant was isolated. The infection dynamics of that strain (PRCV-var) and a traditional PRCV strain (PRCV-trad) were compared. In brief, 4-week-old pigs were divided into three groups with five pigs each. The pigs were inoculated with PRCV-trad or PRCV-var, or left uninfected. Nasal swabs were collected daily, and all pigs were necropsied at day (D) 3. PRCV nasal shedding was significantly higher in PRCV-var pigs compared to PRCV-trad pigs. To investigate the impact of trad and var PRCVs on subsequent infection with influenza A virus (IAV), four additional groups of five pigs were used: PRCV-trad-IAV (PRCV-trad at D0, co-infected with IAV at D5), PRCV-var-IAV, and IAV positive and negative controls. Significantly higher mean PRCV antibody titers and a significantly higher area under the curve (AUC) for PRCV shedding were observed in PRCV-var compared to PRCV-trad-pigs at D10. There was no impact on IAV infection. In conclusion, a 2020 PRCV variant isolate was similar in pathogenicity but more transmissible compared to a traditional 1989 isolate. These findings raise concerns about virus evolution towards more highly pathogenic and transmissible strains and the need to monitor such viruses.
Keywords: co-infection; coronaviruses in pigs; human disease model; influenza A virus; pathogenicity; porcine respiratory coronavirus; transmissible gastroenteritis virus traditional versus variant isolates.
. 2023 Aug 11;12(8):1031.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens12081031. Experimental Infection of Pigs with a Traditional or a Variant Porcine Respiratory Coronavirus (PRCV) Strain and Impact on Subsequent Influenza A Infection
Gaurav Rawal[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jianqiang Zhang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Patrick G Halbur[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Phillip C Gauger[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chong Wang[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tanja Opriessnig[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 37623991
- DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12081031
Porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV) pathogenicity in pigs has been characterized using traditional PRCV isolates; however, information is lacking on pathogenicity of currently circulating PRCV isolates. Recently, a contemporary US PRCV variant was isolated. The infection dynamics of that strain (PRCV-var) and a traditional PRCV strain (PRCV-trad) were compared. In brief, 4-week-old pigs were divided into three groups with five pigs each. The pigs were inoculated with PRCV-trad or PRCV-var, or left uninfected. Nasal swabs were collected daily, and all pigs were necropsied at day (D) 3. PRCV nasal shedding was significantly higher in PRCV-var pigs compared to PRCV-trad pigs. To investigate the impact of trad and var PRCVs on subsequent infection with influenza A virus (IAV), four additional groups of five pigs were used: PRCV-trad-IAV (PRCV-trad at D0, co-infected with IAV at D5), PRCV-var-IAV, and IAV positive and negative controls. Significantly higher mean PRCV antibody titers and a significantly higher area under the curve (AUC) for PRCV shedding were observed in PRCV-var compared to PRCV-trad-pigs at D10. There was no impact on IAV infection. In conclusion, a 2020 PRCV variant isolate was similar in pathogenicity but more transmissible compared to a traditional 1989 isolate. These findings raise concerns about virus evolution towards more highly pathogenic and transmissible strains and the need to monitor such viruses.
Keywords: co-infection; coronaviruses in pigs; human disease model; influenza A virus; pathogenicity; porcine respiratory coronavirus; transmissible gastroenteritis virus traditional versus variant isolates.