Experimental infection of pregnant gilts with swine hepatitis E virus.
To determine the effect of swine hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection on pregnant gilts, their fetuses, and offspring, 12 gilts were intravenously inoculated with swine HEV. Six gilts, who were not inoculated, served as controls. All inoculated gilts became actively infected and shed HEV in feces, but vertical transmission was not detected in the fetuses. There was no evidence of clinical disease in the gilts or their offspring. Mild multifocal lymphohistiocytic hepatitis was observed in 4 of 12 inoculated gilts. There was no significant effect of swine HEV on fetal size, fetal viability, or offspring birth weight or weight gain. The offspring acquired anti-HEV colostral antibodies but remained seronegative after the antibodies waned by 71 days of age. Swine HEV infection induced subclinical hepatitis in pregnant gilts, but had no effect on the gilts' reproductive performance, or the fetuses or offspring. Fulminant hepatitis associated with HEV infection was not reproduced in gilts.
Kasorndorkbua
Chaiyan
C
Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA.
Thacker
Brad J
BJ
Halbur
Patrick G
PG
Guenette
Denis K
DK
Buitenwerf
Ryan M
RM
Royer
Ryan L
RL
Meng
Xiang-Jin
XJ
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006524:Hepatitis, Viral, Animal / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000662:veterinary; D007275:Injections, Intravenous / Q000662:veterinary; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000821:virology; D012098:Reproduction; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral