• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.157-162
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• 2013

A good level of biosecurity practice is important for efficient porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) control. In the current study, disinfecting ability of ozone against PRRS virus (PRRSV) was evaluated in comparison with ultraviolet (UV) and an organic acid-based disinfectant to assess the possible use of ozone for disinfecting farm vehicles, equipments, and materials to reduce the risk of new virus introduction. For in vitro evaluation, the levels of infectious virus and viral RNA were determined on the swabs collected from the floor surface of each room treated with either ozone, UV or the disinfectant up to 30 min after contamination with 100 mL of VR2332 ($10^5\;TCID_{50}/mL$). For in vivo evaluation, 3, 4-week old, PRRS-free pigs were housed into those rooms right after the last swab collection. Then the pigs in each room were injected intramuscularly with the corresponding swab samples collected at the last time point and pooled per each room. Although ozone, UV, and the disinfectant significantly reduced the levels of PRRSV RNA contamination, ozone was most effective in removing the viral RNA. In addition, the virus collected after at least 10 min exposure to ozone failed to replicate in pigs while the virus collected after treatment with UV and the disinfectant for 30 min still replicated in pigs. Based on the results, it was concluded that ozone is more effective in inactivating PRRSV as compared with UV and the organic acid-based disinfectant.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.111-117
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• 1999

A nation wide sero-epidemiological survey of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome(PRRS) was carried out to analyze the current status of the PRRS virus infections in the field using the indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay(IFA) with the field isolate PL96-1. Since the first report of the antibody detection to PRRSV in 1993, the prevalence of seropositive pigs has increased dramatically and the data indicate that over 21% of the pigs and around 60% of the farms showed seropositives to the PRRS virus. A slightly higher positive rate was recognized in breeders than fattenings and it might be due to the higher age at the time of testings. No significant regional differences were detected in the sero-epidemiological survey. Higher sero-positive rate in growers indicates that PRRSV infection in the field was common after weaning(around 40 days). However, the number of seropositive pigs were declined in fattening pigs. Sows showed around 26% of sero-positive rate that there is a higher chance of continuous virus circulation in the infected farms. Low rate of sero-positivity in boars(9.8%) implies that there is high demand in proper control measures to prevent virus spreading through breeding procedures such as natural or artificial insemination. Therefore it was concluded that PRRSV infection in domestic swine herds is endemic and the positive rate and economic loses will be increased by spontaneous infections in naive farms.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.111-116
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• 2011

Artificial insemination (AI) of swine is a very useful reproductive tool and that offers convenience in the Korean swine industry. Since many viruses have been reported to be excreted through boar semen, we investigated the presence of antibodies and antigens against viruses causing reproductive failure in semen of boar in 349 semen samples collected from six Korean AI centers. Viral antigens were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or reverse transcription-PCR predominantly. The results was as follows. The major reproductive failure causing factor was porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), followed by porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) ($X^2$=166.64, P<0.001). PCV2 and PRRSV, Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) was detected in 73 samples (20.9%), 44 samples (12.6%), 4 samples (1.1%), 3 samples (0.9%), respectively and porcine parvovirus in one sample (0.3%) Classical swine fever virus (CSFV), bovine viral diarrhea virus and Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) were not detected. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was carried out in 111 serum samples from three AI centers. In most pigs, antibodies response was showed prominently in CSFV (105 sera, 94.6%) ($X^2$=82.580, P<0.001), followed by, in PRRSV (100 sera, 90.1%), PCV2 (92 sera, 90.1%), and PPV (8 sera, 82.9%). ADV antibody was not detected. Thus, the experimental results will be used for the base data, with respect to the state of viral stillbirth in general pig farms, as well as AI centers and breeding farms in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.117-123
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• 2011

This experiment was conducted to investigate the presence of recognized abortifacient viruses from aborted fetuses and stillborn piglets in cases of reproductive failure in sows by PCR. A total of 219 samples of aborted fetuses or stillborn piglets, submitted to the School of Veterinary Medicine of Kangwon National University between 2006 and 2009 May, were collected from 5 provinces in Korea. Abortifacient virus infections were detected in 82 (37.4%) out of 219 aborted fetuses or stillborn piglets as well as on 39 (40.2%) out of 97 pig farms. The major viral infections were porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and Aujesky's disease virus (ADV) for which 46 (21%), 19 (8.6%) and 16 (7.3%) were positive, respectively, with 9 fetuses had complicated infection of PCV2+PRRSV or ADV or both. And 8 (3.6%) for SIV, 3 (1.3%) for PPV and 1 (0.4%) for JEV were positive as minor viral infection. The results suggest that PCV2, PRRSV, ADV is apparently the most important viral infectious agents associated with fetal infection leading to abortion or stillbirth in Korea. SIV, PPV and JEV might have a minor impact on reproductive disease.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.139-145
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• 2013

Porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) continues to be a significant economic problem to the swine industry. In order to elucidate the etiology of PRDC including porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), porcine reproductive and respiratory disease syndrome virus (PRRSV), swine influenza virus (SIV), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (MH), Pasteurella multocida (PM) and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) in Namwon, the 455 lung samples were randomly collected from slaughtered pigs, examined gross lesions indicative of respiratory disease of lung and classified the lung lesion according to the severity of lung lesions. Two hundred pigs lung tissues with pneumonic lesions were examined for pathogen by PCR. As a result, the numbers of pneumonic lesions were 357 (78.5%), mean pneumonic score ($mean{\pm}SD$) was $2.03{\pm}0.90$ and the highest gross lesion according to stages was 1 (11~20%). In detection of pathogens, PCV2, PRRSV, SIV, MH, APP and PM were positive in 76.5%, 5.0%, 6.0%, 9.0%, 4.5% and 6.0%, respectively and PCV2-MH was the most detected causative pathogens of PRDC in co-infection. In the serological test for PRRSV, PCV2, MH, APP2, APP5, HP and PM, showed high antibody positive rates 93% or more.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.11.1-11.14
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• 2023

Background: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are commonly used to assess in vitro immune responses. However, PBMC isolation is a time-consuming procedure, introduces technical variability, and requires a relatively large volume of blood. By contrast, whole blood assay (WBA) is faster, cheaper, maintains more physiological conditions, and requires less sample volume, laboratory training, and equipment. Objectives: Herein, this study aimed to develop a porcine WBA for in vitro evaluation of immune responses. Methods: Heparinized whole blood (WB) was diluted (non-diluted, 1/2, 1/8, and 1/16) in RPMI-1640 media, followed by phorbol myristate acetate and ionomycin. After 24 h, cells were stained for interferon (IFN)-γ secreting T-cells followed by flow cytometry, and the supernatant was analyzed for tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. In addition, diluted WB was stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), reference strain KCTC3557 (RS), field isolate (FI), of heat-killed (HK) Streptococcus suis, and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Results: The frequency of IFN-γ⁺CD3⁺ T-cells and concentration of TNF-α in the supernatant of WB increased with increasing dilution factor and were optimal at 1/8. WB TNF-α and interleukin (IL)-10 cytokine levels increased significantly following stimulation with LPS or poly I:C. Further, FI and RS induced IL-10 production in WB. Additionally, PRRSV strains increased the frequency of IFN-γ⁺ CD4^-CD8⁺ cells, and IFN-γ was non-significantly induced in the supernatant of re-stimulated samples. Conclusions: We propose that the WBA is a rapid, reliable, and simple method to evaluate immune responses and WB should be diluted to trigger immune cells.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.59-66
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• 2023

Wild boar is closely related to domestic pigs in terms of genetic homogeneity and the possibility of a source of infection by contact. This study investigated the prevalence of viral diseases from wild boars inhabiting Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. A total of 374 blood samples were collected and subjected to antigen tests to detect African swine fever virus (ASFV), Porcine circovirus type-2 (PCV2), Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). For seroprevalence, PCV2, PRRS, classical swine fever virus (CSFV), Aujezsky's disease (ADV), and foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) were investigated. The antigenic analysis revealed 73 positive cases (19.5%) for PCV2, while no positive cases for ASFV and PRRSV. For the antibody test, 225 (60.2%), 2 (0.5%), and 48 (12.8%) cases were detected against PCV2, PRRSV, and CSFV, respectively. There were no antibodies detected against both ADV and FMDV. Our results suggest that the viruses infecting both wild boar and domestic pig, mainly PCV2, are circulating in the wild boar population thus, the consistent monitoring of prevalence in wild boar will be needed for transboundary spillover to the domestic pig.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.287-292
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• 2009

The nucleocapsid (N) protein of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a basic multifunctional protein which has been reported to be a serine phosphoprotein with yet-identified functions. As a first step towards understanding the general role of N protein phosphorylation during virus replication, the non-phosphorylated mutant N gene was constructed by mutating all serine residues to alanine. This recombinant N protein was identified to be unphosphorylated, confirming that serine residues truly function as core amino acids responsible for N protein phosphorylation. The PRRSV N protein has been shown to possess the biological features of nuclear localization and N-N homodimerization which individually play critical roles in virus infection. In the present study, therefore, it was attempted to investigate whether these two properties of the N protein are modulated by its phosphorylation status. However, experimental results showed that the non-phosphorylated N protein was still present in the nucleus and nucleolus, and was able to associate with itself by non-covalent interactions. Taken together, the data suggest phosphorylation-independent regulation of N protein nuclear transport or oligomerization, thereby implying the potential involvement of phosphorylation in regulating the activities of the N protein at other levels including RNA-binding capacity.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.102-106
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• 2016

More than 20 years after the first report of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in Korea, the disease is still having major impact on domestic pig health and relevant industries. Although ELISA tests are commonly used by veterinarians to guide herd management, data on diagnostic performance of the test in field settings are very limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate two commercially available PRRSV ELISA (IDEXX PRRS X3 ELISA and Bionote PRRSV ELISA 4.0) to detect antibodies against PRRSV on serum samples. To this end, a total of 1,108 sera were recruited from 35 swine farms located in Gyeonggi province and tested at the Gyeonggi Province Veterinary Service Center. All tests were performed according to the manufacturer's instructions, by laboratory technicians who routinely perform PRRS testing on blood samples. Samples were collected from two sources of swine populations with different PRRS prevalence; 60 samples (5.4%) were originated from breeding farms and the remaining 1,048 samples (94.6%) were from farrow-to-finish farms. We applied Bayesian latent class model (LCM) for two-tests in the two-population when the accuracy of the gold standard is not available. The model estimated that Bionote ELISA was a bit more specific but slightly less sensitive. The estimated sensitivity and specificity of the IDEXX ELISA were 99.8% (95% CI 98.1-100%) and 86.4% (95% CI 81.4-96.5%), respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for Bionote kit were 98.7% (95% CI 92.8-100%), 89.8% (95% CI 86.2-93.1%), 93.8% (95% CI 91.5-96.0%), and 97.8% (95% CI 87.1-100%), respectively. Based on the Bayesian 95% credible intervals, the sensitivity and specificity of the two ELISAs were not significantly different each other when assuming that two kits were imperfect, indicating that two kits performed equally well in terms of sensitivity and specificity in our filed setting.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.215-220
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• 2009

The prevalence of potentially xenozoonotic viruses in the reproductive tract of female pigs in Korea was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These viruses include porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), swine hepatitis E virus (SHEV), porcine lymphotropic herpesvirus (PLHV), and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2). Histopathological examination and PCR analysis were conducted using the ovaries of 70 slaughtered pigs that were collected from 14 farms in Jeju. Histopathologically, infiltrations of mononuclear inflammatory cells around the thick-walled coiled vessels in the ovarian medulla were observed in 15 cases. Based on the PCR method, PERV, PLHV, PRRSV, SHEV, and PCV-2 were detected in 69 (98.6%), 35 (50%), 5 (7.1%), 4 (5.7%), and 1 sample (1.4%), respectively. These results suggest that PERV and PLHV are the major xenozoonotic viruses in the porcine ovary. This study should aid in the development of a monitoring protocol for potential xenozoonotic agents and in the production of germ-free pigs for xenotransplantation.