Investigation on porcine circovirus type 3 in serum of farrowing sows with stillbirths.

Since its first identification in 2016, porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3) has been detected in healthy and/or diseased swine in many countries worldwide. In a previous study by our group, PCV3 was detected in sera of sows which had at least one stillborn piglet in the last parturition. As such, it became important to investigate if the presence of PCV3 in sows' sera could be associated to the occurrence of stillbirths. With that aim, the frequency of PCV3 infections and viral DNA loads in sows' sera was investigated through a real-time quantitative PCR in 89 serum samples of just farrowed sows with or without stillbirths. PCV3 genomes were identified in most samples, with genome loads ranging between less than 10 to 200,000 copies per mL of serum. No significant differences were observed either in the frequency of infection or PCV3 viral loads in sows with or without stillbirths. Thus, no association could be established between PCV3 infection of sows at farrowing and stillbirths' occurrence.

Laboratory and clinical findings and their association with viral and proviral loads in cats naturally infected with feline leukemia virus.

This study was conducted to correlate clinical, laboratory, and bone marrow (BM) changes in cats naturally infected with feline leukemia virus and their association with viral loads in blood and BM and proviral loads in BM. Cats were classified into five groups based on antigenemia, clinical and/or laboratory findings and viral/proviral loads, according to a prospective study: symptomatic progressive (GI); asymptomatic progressive (GII); regressive (GIII); unclassified (GIV); or healthy (GV). |Correlations between these five groups and viral/proviral loads were evaluated. High viral and proviral loads were detected in GI and GII and viral loads were significantly associated with laboratory signs. Proviral loads detected in BM were significantly lower in GIII and GIV. GI cats were more likely to develop hematopoietic disorders than those from the other groups. Hematological and clinical disorders and disease severity are related to higher viral blood and proviral BM loads.