Abstract
Akabane virus (AKAV) is known as a major teratogenic agent of ruminant fetuses. In this study, we investigated the relationship between porcine abnormal deliveries and AKAV by serology, pathology, and virology investigations using specimens from 16 stillborn fetuses delivered in southern Japan between 2013 and 2015. The major clinical manifestations in stillborn fetuses were hydranencephaly, arthrogryposis, spinal curvature, and both skeletal muscle and subcutaneous edema. Histologic examination of the specimens identified atrophy of skeletal muscle fibers accompanied by adipose replacement. Nonsuppurative encephalomyelitis and decreased neuronal density in the ventral horn of the spinal cord were shown in two separate fetuses, respectively. Neutralizing antibody titers to AKAV were detected in most of the tested fetuses (13/16). The AKAV sequences detected in the affected fetuses in 2013 and 2015 were highly identical and closely related to Japanese AKAV isolates which were isolated in 2013 and sorted into genogroup I of AKAV. Immunohistochemistry visualized AKAV antigens in the neuronal cells of the central nervous system of the fetuses. These findings indicate that AKAV was involved in the birth of abnormal piglets at the affected farm. The clinical manifestations and histopathological features in the stillborn fetuses were very similar to those in ruminant neonates affected by AKAV. To avoid misdiagnosis and to evaluate the precise impact of AKAV on pig reproduction, AKAV should be considered in differential diagnoses of reproductive failures in pigs.
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Acknowledgements
We thank veterinary officers at Nagasaki Prefectural livestock hygiene service centers for excellent technical support and sampling.
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This work was partially supported by a found from NARO.
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Conceptualization: (Daisuke Inoue, Tohru Yanase); Methodology: (Daisuke Inoue, Kumiko Kimura, Tohru Yanase); Formal analysis and investigation: (Daisuke Inoue, Akimi Hayashima, Fumiko Suzuta, Yasuhiko Motomura, Yuta Kawamoto, Fumihiko Yoshino, Kotaro Morita, Yoshio Hirai, Shigeru Iwamatsu, Satoshi Nakazato, Kumiko Kimura, Tohru Yanase); Writing—original draft preparation: (Daisuke Inoue,); Writing—review and editing: (Kumiko Kimura, Tohru Yanase); Supervision: (Kumiko Kimura, Tohru Yanase).
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The use of all animals was with the consent of the participating farmers. This study was performed under guidelines provided by the animal health authority of Nagasaki Prefecture and NARO, and did not include any animal experiments or human specimens. Therefore, further approval by an ethics committee was not required.
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Inoue, D., Hayashima, A., Suzuta, F. et al. Congenital malformations caused by Akabane virus in porcine fetuses in southern Japan. Vet Res Commun 48, 449–457 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-023-10230-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-023-10230-x