Skip to main content
PMC home page
Springer Nature - PMC COVID-19 Collection logoLink to Springer Nature - PMC COVID-19 Collection
. 1991;117(1):121–128. doi: 10.1007/BF01310497

Isolation of encephalomyocarditis virus among stillborn and post-weaning pigs in Quebec

S A Dea 1, R Bilodeau 2, G P Martineau 2
PMCID: PMC7086762  PMID: 1848748

Summary

Encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus was isolated from aborted fetuses and lungs of suckling pigs from three Quebec pig farms that experienced outbreaks of reproductive failure in sows and respiratory problems in suckling and post-weaning piglets. Multifocal interstitial pneumonia and mild non-suppurative myocarditis and meningoencephalitis were the more significant histopathological lesions observed in piglets. Vero cells were found to be more sensitive than BHK-21 cells and pig cell lines for primary isolation of EMC virus. The Quebec EMC virus isolates were highly virulent for mice and were antigenically related to reference strain of EMC virus as demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescence, seroneutralization and Western immunoblotting. Specific virus neutralization antibody titers up to 1:12,800 were detected in samples of thoracic or abdominal fluids of the aborted fetuses.

Keywords: Myocarditis, Vero Cell, Interstitial Pneumonia, Meningoencephalitis, Virus Neutralization

References

  • 1.Acland HM, Littlejohns IR. Encephalomyocarditis infection of pigs. An outbreak in New South Wales. Aust Vet J. 1975;51:409–415. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1975.tb15789.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Bouillant AMP, Dulac GC, Willis N, et al. Viral susceptibility of a cell line derived from the pig oviduct. Can J Comp Med. 1975;39:450–456. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Dea S, Elazhary MASY. Cultivation of a porcine adenovirus in porcine thyroid cell cultures. Cornell Vet. 1984;74:207–217. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Dea S, Vaillancourt J, Elazhary MASY, Martineau GP. Parvovirus-like particles associated with diarrhea in unweaned piglets. Can J Comp Med. 1985;49:343–345. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Dea S, Tijssen P. Identification of the structural proteins of turkey enteric coronavirus. Arch Virol. 1988;99:173–186. doi: 10.1007/BF01311068. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Gainer JH. Encephalomyocarditis virus infection in Florida, 1960–1966. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1967;151:421–425. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Hill BD, Ketter PJ, Rodwell BJ, et al. Encephalomyocarditis virus infection and pig disease in Queensland. Aust Vet J. 1985;62:433–434. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1985.tb14138.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8.Joo HS, Kim HS, Leman AD. Detection of antibody to encephalomyocarditis virus in mummified or stillborn pigs. Arch Virol. 1988;100:131–134. doi: 10.1007/BF01310915. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Joo HS, Donaldson-Wood CR, Johnson RH, et al. Pathogenesis of porcine parvovirus infection: pathology and immunofluorescence in the foetus. J Comp Pathol. 1977;87:383–391. doi: 10.1016/0021-9975(77)90028-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Keffaber KK. Reproductive failure of unknown etiology. Am Assoc Swine Pract. 1989;1:3–10. [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Kim HS, Joo HS, Bergeland ME. Serologic, virologic, and histopathologic observations of encephalomyocarditis virus infection in mummified and stillborn pigs. J Vet Diagn Invest. 1989;1:101–104. doi: 10.1177/104063878900100201. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12.Kim HS, Christianson WT, Joo HS. Pathogenic properties of encephalomyocarditis virus isolates in swine fetuses. Arch Virol. 1989;109:51–57. doi: 10.1007/BF01310517. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13.Links IJ, Whittington RJ, Kennedy DJ, et al. An association between encephalomyocarditis virus infection and reproductive failure in pigs. Aust Vet J. 1986;63:150–152. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1986.tb02954.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Littlejohns IR. Encephalomyocarditis virus from stillborn pigs. Aust Vet J. 1984;61:93. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1984.tb15526.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 15.Love RJ, Grewel AS. Reproductive failure in pigs caused by encephalomyocarditis virus. Aust Vet J. 1986;63:128–129. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1986.tb07684.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 16.Matthews REF. Classification and nomenclature of viruses. Intervirology. 1979;11:133–135. doi: 10.1159/000149025. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 17.Morin M, Phaneuf JB, Sauvageau R, DiFranco E, et al. An epizootic of swine influenza in Quebec. Can Vet J. 1981;22:275–278. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Orr JP, Althouse E, Dulac GC, et al. Epizootic infection of a minimal disease swine herd with a herpesvirus. Can Vet J. 1988;29:45–50. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Palmemberg AC, Kirby EM, Janda MR, Drake NL, Duke GM, Potratz KF, Collett MS. The nucleotide and deduced sequences of the encephalomyocarditis viral polyprotein coding region. Nucleic Acids Res. 1984;12:2969–2985. doi: 10.1093/nar/12.6.2969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 20.Sanford SE, Josephson GKA, Rehmtulla AJ, et al. Antibodies to encephalomyocarditis virus in aborted and stillborn pigs. Can Vet J. 1989;30:757. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Sanford SE, Rehmtulla AJ, Josephson GKA. Encephalomyocarditis virus outbreak among suckling pigs. Can Vet J. 1989;30:178. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Zeman DH, Leslie-Steen P, Nelson DT, et al (1989) Interstitial pneumonia in piglets associated with porcine parvovirus. In: Proceedings Vth Int Symp World Assoc Vet Lab Diagn, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, June 25–30

Articles from Archives of Virology are provided here courtesy of Nature Publishing Group

RESOURCES