Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Prevalence and Pathogenicity of One NADC34-like Virus Isolate Circulating in China

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) is one of the most significant infectious agents threatening the global pig industry. Due to its high mutation and recombination rates, the prevalence of PRRSV in domestic pig populations is complex. To better understand the epidemiology of...

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Main Authors: Yongjie Mei, Jianguo Chen, Yingyu Chen, Changmin Hu, Xi Chen, Aizhen Guo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Microorganisms
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/4/796
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author Yongjie Mei
Jianguo Chen
Yingyu Chen
Changmin Hu
Xi Chen
Aizhen Guo
author_facet Yongjie Mei
Jianguo Chen
Yingyu Chen
Changmin Hu
Xi Chen
Aizhen Guo
author_sort Yongjie Mei
collection DOAJ
description Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) is one of the most significant infectious agents threatening the global pig industry. Due to its high mutation and recombination rates, the prevalence of PRRSV in domestic pig populations is complex. To better understand the epidemiology of PRRSV, we conducted a large-scale investigation in eastern China, focusing on pig farms with a history of high abortion rates. A total of 14,934 pig samples were collected from 11 sow farms and 53 fattening farms across three provinces. Among these, 13.0% of the collected samples tested positive for PRRSV, with specific prevalence rates of 19.7% in sows and 12.4% in piglets. Genetic evolution analysis of the GP5 gene from 43 PRRSV strains identified in this study revealed that NADC30-like, NADC34-like, and HP-PRRSV were the predominant lineages in domestic pig farms. The NADC30-like genotype was the most dominant and had evolved into three subgenotypes, while the NADC34-like strains had diverged into two subgenotypes. Further analysis of the Nsp2 gene from 18 strains indicated that the NSP2 gene of multiple NADC34-like strains was closely related to that of the NADC30-like, suggesting that the NADC34-like strains are primarily recombinant viruses. Sequence comparison of the Nsp2 gene showed that both NADC30-like and NADC34-like viruses share 111 amino acid deletions at positions 322–433 and 21 amino acid deletions at positions 539–558 in the Nsp2 gene coding region. For the first time, the pathogenicity of a representative NADC34-like virus isolated in China was evaluated in pregnant sow. The results showed that infected sows exhibited an increased body temperature, ear cyanosis, and typical edema and cyanosis of the external genitalia. Moreover, all infected sows experienced miscarriage, with 100% of the aborted piglets being stillbirths exhibiting a high virus load. These findings indicate that this NADC34-like virus is highly virulent to sows.
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spelling doaj-art-c78a5306c6ff4c6ca6f1491a99830cdf2025-08-20T02:18:20ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-03-0113479610.3390/microorganisms13040796Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Prevalence and Pathogenicity of One NADC34-like Virus Isolate Circulating in ChinaYongjie Mei0Jianguo Chen1Yingyu Chen2Changmin Hu3Xi Chen4Aizhen Guo5National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, ChinaPorcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) is one of the most significant infectious agents threatening the global pig industry. Due to its high mutation and recombination rates, the prevalence of PRRSV in domestic pig populations is complex. To better understand the epidemiology of PRRSV, we conducted a large-scale investigation in eastern China, focusing on pig farms with a history of high abortion rates. A total of 14,934 pig samples were collected from 11 sow farms and 53 fattening farms across three provinces. Among these, 13.0% of the collected samples tested positive for PRRSV, with specific prevalence rates of 19.7% in sows and 12.4% in piglets. Genetic evolution analysis of the GP5 gene from 43 PRRSV strains identified in this study revealed that NADC30-like, NADC34-like, and HP-PRRSV were the predominant lineages in domestic pig farms. The NADC30-like genotype was the most dominant and had evolved into three subgenotypes, while the NADC34-like strains had diverged into two subgenotypes. Further analysis of the Nsp2 gene from 18 strains indicated that the NSP2 gene of multiple NADC34-like strains was closely related to that of the NADC30-like, suggesting that the NADC34-like strains are primarily recombinant viruses. Sequence comparison of the Nsp2 gene showed that both NADC30-like and NADC34-like viruses share 111 amino acid deletions at positions 322–433 and 21 amino acid deletions at positions 539–558 in the Nsp2 gene coding region. For the first time, the pathogenicity of a representative NADC34-like virus isolated in China was evaluated in pregnant sow. The results showed that infected sows exhibited an increased body temperature, ear cyanosis, and typical edema and cyanosis of the external genitalia. Moreover, all infected sows experienced miscarriage, with 100% of the aborted piglets being stillbirths exhibiting a high virus load. These findings indicate that this NADC34-like virus is highly virulent to sows.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/4/796porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virusNADC34-like viruspathogenicityNsp2GP5
spellingShingle Yongjie Mei
Jianguo Chen
Yingyu Chen
Changmin Hu
Xi Chen
Aizhen Guo
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Prevalence and Pathogenicity of One NADC34-like Virus Isolate Circulating in China
Microorganisms
porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus
NADC34-like virus
pathogenicity
Nsp2
GP5
title Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Prevalence and Pathogenicity of One NADC34-like Virus Isolate Circulating in China
title_full Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Prevalence and Pathogenicity of One NADC34-like Virus Isolate Circulating in China
title_fullStr Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Prevalence and Pathogenicity of One NADC34-like Virus Isolate Circulating in China
title_full_unstemmed Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Prevalence and Pathogenicity of One NADC34-like Virus Isolate Circulating in China
title_short Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Prevalence and Pathogenicity of One NADC34-like Virus Isolate Circulating in China
title_sort porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus prevalence and pathogenicity of one nadc34 like virus isolate circulating in china
topic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus
NADC34-like virus
pathogenicity
Nsp2
GP5
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/4/796
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