Immunohistochemical detection of viral antigen and pathological lesion in piglets experimentally infected with encephalomyocarditis virus

뇌심근염 바이러스의 실험적 감염자돈에 대한 병리학적 소견과 바이러스 항원의 면역조직화학적 검출

Three or 7day old piglets were infected experimentally with different encephalomyocarditis virus isolates to detect the viral antigen by the immunoperoxidase technique and to observe strain difference in their pathogenecity in newborn pigs by comparing clinical signs and pathologic lesions. Clinical signs of the infected pigs were different depending on the virus strain, pig age and infection route. Encephalomyocarditis virus(EMCV) NVSL-PR isolate was more pathogenic than MN-25 and MN-30 isolate. Three day old piglets showed more severe illness than 7 day old piglets. Predominant clinical signs were sudden death without noticeable clinical signs and dyspnea manifested as heavy abdominal breathing. Contact-infection from infected piglets to controls was observed in the oro-nasally infected group but not the intramuscular group. Common necropsy findings of dead piglets in both age groups infected with MN-25 and NVSL-PR were accumulation of excessive fluid in the body cavities and mild to diffuse necrotic areas observed in the hearts and occasionally in the livers. Microscopically, myocarditis with inflammatory cell infiltration, necrosis of the myocardial muscle fibers and occasional mineralization were observed along with interstitial pneumonia and centrolobular necrosis in the liver. Using an immunoperoxidase technique, viral antigen was detected in myocardial muscle fibers of piglets infected with EMCV.