title: Evaluation of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus replication in laboratory rodents.
abstract: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a major cause of economic losses in the swine industry. The disease is widespread worldwide, and so PRRSV-negative pigs are often difficult to find for the study of PRRSV in vivo. To determine if a small animal model could be developed for PRRSV, 3 strains of laboratory rodent were examined for their susceptibility to the virus. No virus replication was detected in BALB/c or SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency) mice after intraperitoneal inoculation. Moderate replication of PRRSV was detected in primary cotton rat lung cell cultures, but no viral replication was detected following intranasal or intraperitoneal inoculation. Following intratracheal inoculation, viral transcripts were detected in the lungs of cotton rats, but only for 1 day. This study indicates that PRRSV replication in common laboratory rodent species is inefficient, and suggests that a rodent model for this virus is not appropriate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rosenfeld
authors.forename: Patricia V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Janet I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: MacInnes
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.forename: Dongwan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yoo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016513:Mice, SCID; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D019318:Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome / Q000821:virology*; D019316:Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016205:Sigmodontinae; D013552:Swine; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral