title: Postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in pigs in Croatia: detection and characterisation of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2).
abstract: The objective of this study was to characterise porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) from pigs with naturally occurring postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in Croatia, and to determine the epizootiological, clinical and pathomorphological features of the disease. During a systematic health monitoring programme conducted in the period from January 2002 to June 2003, PMWS was suspected on eight different pig-producing farms in Croatia. The diagnosis of PMWS met all three key criteria: the presence of compatible clinical signs, the presence of the characteristic microscopic lymphoid lesions, and the detection of PCV2 within the lesions by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by in situ hybridisation (ISH). Moreover, PCV2 DNA from swine tissues was extracted and sequenced. The phylogenetic analysis of 4 Croatian PCV2 strains showed close relationship to PCV2 strains isolated in Slovenia, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, China and Hungary. PCV2 was also demonstrated by electron microscopy in the lymph node of an affected animal. This is the first demonstration of PMWS in Croatia based on all scientifically accepted diagnostic criteria.
authors.affiliation: Croatian Veterinary Institute, Zagreb, Savska c 143, Croatia. lipej@excite.com
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lipej
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Segalés
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Toplak
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sostarić
authors.forename: Besi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Roić
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lojkić
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hostnik
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grom
authors.forename: Darja
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barlic-Maganja
authors.forename: Kamelija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zarković
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oraić
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018173:Circoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017925:Circovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D019282:Wasting Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology