EXPERIMENTAL INFECTION AND EVALUATION BY SHALLOW POOL TRANSMISSION OF BOVINE VIRAL DIARRHEA VIRUS IN WEANED PIGLETS

Abstract

The pigs in natural conditions may become infected by the virus Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVDV). It is known that the transmission of BVDV to pigs requires direct or indirect contact with the source of infection, the ruminants. However, among swine the transmission pathways are still unknown. The goal is to induce and evaluate the experimental infection with BVDV genotype 1 in weaned piglets and check for transmission by water depth. It will be selected six animals proven free of BVDV to form three groups: control, sentinel and infected, consisting of two animals each. It will be used insulators made of stainless steel and glass and fully controlled, designed to establish contact between the animals only by water depth, eliminating the possibility of other routes of transmission and external contamination. The infected group will receive an inoculum containing the BVDV-1 and the stay in the insulators of all piglets is 25 days. The samples taken are blood serology (VN) and RT-PCR, oral and rectal swabs for PCR and at the end, the animals will be euthanized and collected organs fragments for histopathology and RT-PCR, checking if happened the transmission of BVDV -1 between weaned pigs.