title: Porcine circovirus: a historical perspective.
abstract: Porcine circoviruses (PCVs) belong to the genus Circovirus and the family Circoviridae, and they are the smallest known viruses that replicate autonomously in mammalian cells. They are nonenveloped, and they have characteristic single-stranded, negative-sense, circular DNA. Two types of divergent PCVs are recognized: PCV1 and PCV2. About 20 years ago, PCV2 began to emerge as a major pathogen of swine around the world, leading to burgeoning knowledge about the virus and porcine circovirus-associated diseases. However, much of the history of its discovery, including the controversy related to its importance, is not recorded. This review examines current issues related to the biology of PCV2 in the context of the original studies related to determining its causal association with disease and to the evolving understanding of the complex pathogenesis of PCV2 infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada. Email: john.ellis@usask.ca.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ellis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018173:Circoviridae Infections / Q000266:history / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D017925:Circovirus / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D053570:Porcine Postweaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome / Q000266:history* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000266:history* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology
keywords: pigs; porcine circovirus; postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome; virus