title: Postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in pigs with particular emphasis on the causative agent, the mode of transmission, the diagnostic tools and the control measures. A review.
abstract: Postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) is a worldwide emerging disease of weaned piglets. The objective of this review is to summarize the current knowledge regarding PMWS, its causative agent, mode of transmission, diagnostic techniques to detect PCV-2, the possible control measures, and the association of PMWS and PCV-2 with porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome (PDNS). The causative agent of PMWS is porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2), however, not all pigs infected with PCV-2 develop the syndrome. PCV-2 is consistently associated with PMWS and PMWS is considered not to occur without it. Both the syndrome and the virus are not regarded as new. Co-factors that could activate PCV-2 to cause PMWS are considered. This enigmatic nature of both the syndrome and the virus is triggering a concern towards uncertainties of the viral transmission, its introduction in to the herd, effective tools of diagnosis, and control strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Ghebremariam
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gruys
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018173:Circoviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D017925:Circovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D019282:Wasting Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D014886:Weaning