Experimental infection of maternally immune pigs with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus.

To investigate the influence of maternal antibody to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus infection, the following examination was done using conventional and SPF pigs. Ten 17-day-old conventional pigs with maternal antibody against PRRS virus and 6 44-day-old SPF pigs seronegative were inoculated intranasally with 10(5.0) TCID50 of PRRS virus. Two conventional and 4 SPF pigs were served as non-inoculated control. In conventional pigs, coughing and febrile response were observed after inoculation, and mean rate of weight gain reduced. One of the inoculated conventional pigs died on post-inoculation-day (PID) 28 and Haemophilus parasuis was isolated from the lung. Although febrile response was also observed in the inoculated SPF pigs, reduction in weight gain rate was not recognized. Virus was isolated from all the sera of inoculated conventional and SPF pigs except one conventional pig between PID 7 and 49, and between PID 7 and 28, respectively. Onset of viremia in the several conventional pigs delayed. Virus was isolated from the tissues of the 5 conventional pigs on PID 65 and from the tissues of the dead pig. On the other hand, virus was not isolated from the tissues of non-inoculated conventional pigs, and inoculated and non-inoculated SPF pigs. At the virus inoculation, antibodies by the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) assay against PRRS virus were detected in the sera of conventional pigs with antibody titers of 1:20. Antibody titers gradually decreased after inoculation and rose from PID 21 or 28 and were between 1:160 and 1:640 on PID 63. Virus neutralization (VN) antibody titers were 1:2 or 1:4 at the inoculation and gradually decreased. Apparent rise in VN antibody titer was not observed after the inoculation. In the sera of control pigs, both antibody titers gradually decreased and did not rise. In the sera of the SPF pigs, antibodies by the IFA assay were first detected on PID 7 or 14. The titers of antibodies rose and reached their maximum with 1:320 to 1:2,560 on PID 21 to 35. VN antibodies were first detected in PID 42 to 56 and thereafter, the titers ranged between 1:1 to 1:4. Control SPF pigs were free of antibody throughout the examination. Antigenic variability was not recognized between the inoculated and recovered viruses by the VN test. The prolonged duration of viremia and virus isolation from the tissues on PID 65 in conventional pigs with low maternal antibody might support the present of antibody-dependent enhancement activity of PRRS virus infection.