Encephalomyocarditis virus infection of pigs. 2. Experimental disease.

Encephalomycarditis virus recovered from a pig mortality in New South Wales was used to produce experimental infections. Of 34 pigs exposed, 17 died and a further 7 were found to have severe heart lesions when killed. Deaths occurred from 2 to 11 days after exposure with a mode of approximately 3 days. Ten of 11 pigs exposed by intramuscular injection died and the remaining pig was killed after 28 days and found to have severe resolving heart lesions. Of 15 pigs exposed per os to various doses of virus, 6 died, 4 were killed and found to have severe heart lesions and 5 were apparently not infected. Intranasal exposure of 8 pigs resulted in 1 death and 4 pigs with mild to severe heart lesions. Different doses of virus and routes of exposure did not substantially influence the character of the lesions. Lesions were similar to those found previously in field cases, and virus was recovered from all of 19 animals examined with severe acute lesions of 10 days standing or less.