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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Virus and Prion Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #58087
Title: ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES AS A DIAGNOSTIC SAMPLE FOR DETECTING NATURAL INFECTIONOF PIGS WITH PORCINE REPRODUCTIVE AND RESPIRATORY SYNDROME VIRUS

Author
item Mengeling, William
item Lager, Kelly
item Vorwald, Ann

Submitted to: Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/21/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a new disease of swine that causes major economic losses for the swine industry. In the study reported here we describe an improved test for the diagnosis of PRRS. Because better diagnosis means better disease control, the improved test has the potential to reduce the cost of the disease to swine producers throughout the world.

Technical Abstract: In a previous series of studies focused on the diagnosis of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), we tested sera, alveolar macrophages and various tissues for their suitability as diagnostic samples when collected from acutely and persistently infected pigs. The results of these studies indicated that the causative virus (PRRS virus, PRRSV) could usually be isolated from any of several kinds of samples (serum, tonsils, lungs, and alveolar macrophages) during acute infection, but from only alveolar macrophages during later stages of infection. However, during a recent experiment that was initially unrelated to our investigations of PRRS, we found that alveolar macrophages may sometimes be the diagnostic sample of choice even during acute infection. Details of this fortuitous observation are presented.