Investigation of hemotropic Mycoplasmas in fetuses and sows with reproductive failure.

Swine eperythrozoonosis or porcine hemoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused mainly by Mycoplasma suis and is distributed worldwide. This study investigated the occurrence of porcine hemothropic mycoplasmas (PHMs) in fetuses and sows with reproductive failure. Two hundred and seventy-six samples (80 sows' blood and 196 fetal tissue samples) from 27 farms with reproductive disorders were evaluated. The PHMs DNA was detected in 15 out of 80 (18.7%) sows but it was not detected in the fetuses. The bacterial load ranged from 1.32 × 102 to 2.61 × 105 copies/µL. From the 27 tested herds, 11 (40.7%) showed at least one positive sow per farm. The majority of the reproductive problems observed in PMHs positive sows were stillborn fetuses (46.7%) and stillborn associated with fetal mummification (26.7%). So, we evidenced that porcine hemoplasmas circulate among sows in Brazilian herds, however, its real impact on reproductive problems remains unknown.

Porcine parvovirus VP1/VP2 on a time series epitope mapping: exploring the effects of high hydrostatic pressure on the immune recognition of antigens.

Porcine parvovirus (PPV) is a DNA virus that causes reproductive failure in gilts and sows, resulting in embryonic and fetal losses worldwide. Epitope mapping of PPV is important for developing new vaccines. In this study, we used spot synthesis analysis for epitope mapping of the capsid proteins of PPV (NADL-2 strain) and correlated the findings with predictive data from immunoinformatics. The virus was exposed to three conditions prior to inoculation in pigs: native (untreated), high hydrostatic pressure (350 MPa for 1 h) at room temperature and high hydrostatic pressure (350 MPa for 1 h) at - 18 °C, and was compared with a commercial vaccine produced using inactivated PPV. The screening of serum samples detected 44 positive spots corresponding to 20 antigenic sites. Each type of inoculated antigen elicited a distinct epitope set. In silico prediction located linear and discontinuous epitopes in B cells that coincided with several epitopes detected in spot synthesis of sera from pigs that received different preparations of inoculum. The conditions tested elicited antibodies against the VP1/VP2 antigen that differed in relation to the response time and the profile of structurally available regions that were recognized.

A human-like H1N2 influenza virus detected during an outbreak of acute respiratory disease in swine in Brazil.

Passive monitoring for detection of influenza A viruses (IAVs) in pigs has been carried out in Brazil since 2009, detecting mostly the A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza virus. Since then, outbreaks of acute respiratory disease suggestive of influenza A virus infection have been observed frequently in Brazilian pig herds. During a 2010-2011 influenza monitoring, a novel H1N2 influenza virus was detected in nursery pigs showing respiratory signs. The pathologic changes were cranioventral acute necrotizing bronchiolitis to subacute proliferative and purulent bronchointerstitial pneumonia. Lung tissue samples were positive for both influenza A virus and A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza virus based on RT-qPCR of the matrix gene. Two IAVs were isolated in SPF chicken eggs. HI analysis of both swine H1N2 influenza viruses showed reactivity to the H1δ cluster. DNA sequencing was performed for all eight viral gene segments of two virus isolates. According to the phylogenetic analysis, the HA and NA genes clustered with influenza viruses of the human lineage (H1-δ cluster, N2), whereas the six internal gene segments clustered with the A(H1N1)pdm09 group. This is the first report of a reassortant human-like H1N2 influenza virus derived from pandemic H1N1 virus causing an outbreak of respiratory disease in pigs in Brazil. The emergence of a reassortant IAV demands the close monitoring of pigs through the full-genome sequencing of virus isolates in order to enhance genetic information about IAVs circulating in pigs.

Vacinas com marcadores antigênicos contra o vírus da rinotraqueíte infecciosa bovina e o vírus da doença de Aujeszky{ review] / Vaccines with antigenic markers against bovine herpesvírus type-1 and pseudorabies vírus: [review]

Vacinas contra o herpes vírus bovino tipo-1 (IBRV, vírus da rinotraqueíte infecciosa) e o herpesvírus suíno (PRV, vírus da doença de Aujeszky) têm sido amplamente utilizadas em vários países para minimizar as perdas associadas à essas infecções. As vacinas tradicionais, no entanto, induzem uma resposta humoral indistinguível da resposta à infecção natural, o que não permite a distinção entre animais vacinados dos infectados naturalmente. Isto tem dificultado o estabelecimento de medidas de controle e erradicação dessas enfermidades. Nos últimos anos, a manipulação genética desses vírus tem permitido a obtenção de mutantes com marcadores antigênicos específicos. A estratégia consiste na deleção de uma ou mais glicoproteínas do envelope viral que não são essenciais para a replicação do vírus e o uso desses mutantes como vacinas. A utilização de um teste sorológico específico para a glicoproteína deletada permite a distinção entre animais vacinados dos infectados com o vírus de campo. A utilização de vacinas com marcadores antigênicos, também chamadas de vacinas diferenciais, tem sido a base de programas de controle e erradicação da doença de Aujeszky em vários países e começa a ser utilizada no controle da rinotraqueíte infecciosa bovina. Este artigo apresenta uma breve revisão sobre as bases moleculares e biológicas das vacinas diferenciais para o IBRV e PRV, assim como possíveis aplicações dessas vacinas no controle dessas enfermidades no Brasil em um futuro próximo.

Vaccination has been widely used to minimize the economic losses caused by bovine herpesvírus type-1 (IBRV) and pseudorabies virus (PR V) infections. The traditional vaccines, however, induce a humoral response that is indistinguishable from that induced by the natural infection. The impossibility of distinction between vaccinated and naturally infected animais has impaired the establishment of control and eradication programs for these diseases. In the last years, the genetic manipulation of infectious agents has allowed the development of mutants that are detective in expression of specific envelope glycoproteins. The strategy consists of deletion of one or more non-essential viral envelope glycoproteins and the use of these mutants as vaccines. By using a serologic test that is specific for the deleted glycoprotein, it is possible to differentiate the vaccinated animais from those that have been naturally infected. The use of these genetically engineered vaccines, also known as marker vaccines, has been the basis for control and eradication programs of Aujeszky's disease in several countries and has recently begun to be utilized for IBRV. This article presents a brief review on the molecular and biological basis of the differential vaccines against IBRV and PRV and the possible applications of such vaccines in the control of these infections in the near future in Brazil.