Li Yang, Gao Chunliu, Wu Lili, Qing Jie, Zhang Minxia, Qiao Mengli, Hu Zhiqiang, Zhang Bingzhou, Yang Chen, Wang Zewei, Li Lulu, Yan Zheng, Wu Weisheng, Liu Wei, Ren Jing, Li Xiaowen
Shandong Engineering Research Center of Pig and Poultry Health Breeding and Important Disease Purification, Shandong New Hope Liuhe Co., Ltd, Qingdao, China.
Juye Xinhao Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd, Heze, China.
Porcine Health Manag. 2025 Jun 6;11(1):32. doi: 10.1186/s40813-025-00445-6.
Porcine group A rotavirus (RVA) is a significant causative agent of diarrhea in piglets, leading to substantial economic losses in pig farms worldwide. While horizontal transmission of RVA among pig populations is well documented, the possibility of vertical transmission from sows to newborn piglets has not been definitively confirmed.
In this study, piglet testicles, umbilical cord blood, and colostrum were collected from porcine RVA (PoRVA)-active farms for analysis. The samples presented high PoRVA-positive rates, with 70.00% in the testicle samples, 55.00% in the umbilical cord blood samples, and 73.33% in the colostrum samples. Immunohistochemical assays confirmed the presence of PoRVA in neonatal piglet testicles. Additionally, two PoRVA strains, RVA/Pig/CHN/QT/2023/G9P [23] (QT2023) and RVA/Pig/CHN/BH/2023/G12P [7] (BH2023), were isolated from newborn piglet testicles. Complete genome analyses revealed that strains QT2023 and BH2023 both presented a Wa-like backbone, with the genotype constellation of G9-P [23]-I5-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T1-E1-H1 and G12-P [7]-I5-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T1-E1-H1, respectively. While strains QT2023 and BH2023 originated from PoRVAs, sequence identities and phylogenetic analyses suggested close relationships with human rotaviruses in specific genes. Furthermore, successful viral replication of these strains in MA-104 cells was observed. Inoculation of PoRVA-negative piglets with strains QT2023 and BH2023 resulted in clinical diarrhea, fecal virus shedding, and intestinal pathological changes, highlighting the pathogenicity of these strains.
This study provides evidence that PoRVA can breach the placental barrier and spread to newborn piglets through vertical transmission. These discoveries enhance our understanding of the transmission route of porcine RVA and have the potential to guide the development of efficient vaccine strategies for combating this disease.
猪A组轮状病毒（RVA）是仔猪腹泻的重要病原体，在全球养猪场造成重大经济损失。虽然RVA在猪群中的水平传播已有充分记录，但从母猪到新生仔猪的垂直传播可能性尚未得到明确证实。
在本研究中，从猪RVA（PoRVA）活跃猪场采集仔猪睾丸、脐带血和初乳进行分析。样本呈现出较高的PoRVA阳性率，睾丸样本中为70.00%，脐带血样本中为55.00%，初乳样本中为73.33%。免疫组织化学检测证实新生仔猪睾丸中存在PoRVA。此外，从新生仔猪睾丸中分离出两株PoRVA毒株，即RVA/猪/中国/QT/2023/G9P[23]（QT2023）和RVA/猪/中国/BH/2023/G12P[7]（BH2023）。全基因组分析表明，QT2023和BH2023毒株均呈现类似Wa的主干结构，基因型组合分别为G9-P[23]-I5-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T1-E1-H1和G12-P[7]-I5-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T1-E1-H1。虽然QT2023和BH2023毒株源自PoRVAs，但序列同一性和系统发育分析表明它们在特定基因上与人类轮状病毒关系密切。此外，观察到这些毒株在MA-104细胞中成功进行病毒复制。用QT2023和BH2023毒株接种PoRVA阴性仔猪会导致临床腹泻、粪便病毒排出和肠道病理变化，突出了这些毒株的致病性。
本研究提供了证据，证明PoRVA可突破胎盘屏障并通过垂直传播传播给新生仔猪。这些发现增进了我们对猪RVA传播途径的理解，并有可能指导开发对抗这种疾病的有效疫苗策略。
