Porcine circovirus type 2-associated cerebellar vasculitis in postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS)-affected pigs.
Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is associated with several syndromes in growing pigs, including postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome and porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome. In the present study, a previously undescribed neurovascular disorder associated with a PCV2 infection is described. Sixteen pigs showed clinical signs of wasting and neurologic deficits. Acute hemorrhages and edema of cerebellar meninges and parenchyma due to a necrotizing vasculitis resulted in degeneration and necrosis of the gray and white matter. Few to numerous PCV2 DNA and antigen-bearing endothelial cells were detected in affected areas of the brain using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Conventional histochemical stains, as well as the detection of caspase 3 activity and DNA strand breaks by the terminal transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay, showed numerous apoptotic endothelial cells in the vascular lesions observed. Sequencing of various brain-derived PCV2-specific amplicons revealed a strong identity between different isolates and an 89 to 100% identity to previous isolates. The phylogenetic tree showed that there was no clustering of isolates correlating to clinical signs or geographic distribution. This previously undescribed PCV2-associated neurologic disease has features of both postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome and, to a lesser extent, porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome. The available evidence suggests that direct virus-induced apoptosis of endothelial cells plays a role in the pathogenesis of this unusual PCV2-associated cerebellar vasculitis.
Seeliger
F A
FA
Institute for Preclinical Drug Safety, ALTANA Pharma AG, Barsbuettel, Germany.
Brügmann
M L
ML
Krüger
L
L
Greiser-Wilke
I
I
Verspohl
J
J
Segalés
J
J
Baumgärtner
W
W
D000818:Animals; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D018173:Circoviridae Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017925:Circovirus / Q000235:genetics; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D016679:Genome, Viral; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D053570:Porcine Postweaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D013552:Swine; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins
D014764:Viral Proteins