Influence of isolate pathogenicity on the aerosol transmission of Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the role of isolate pathogenicity in the aerosol transmission of Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and to determine whether PRRSV could be detected in air samples. To assess transmission, we exposed naive recipient pigs to aerosols from pigs inoculated with PRRSV MN-30100, an isolate of low pathogenicity, or MN-184, a highly pathogenic isolate. Blood samples and nasal-swab samples were collected from the inoculated pigs during the exposure period and tested for the presence of PRRSV RNA by quantitative (real-time) reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); the amount of RNA was expressed as the median tissue culture dose per milliliter (TCID50/mL). The recipient pigs were clinically evaluated for 14 d after exposure and tested on days 7 and 14 by qualitative RT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). To prove the presence of PRRSV in aerosols, air samples were collected from each recipient-pig chamber by means of an air sampler. The PRRSV RNA concentrations were significantly higher (P = 0.01) in the blood samples from the pigs infected with PRRSV MN-184 than in the blood samples from those infected with PRRSV MN-30100; however, the concentrations in the nasal-swab samples were not significantly different (P = 0.26). Recipient pigs exposed to aerosols from pigs infected with PRRSV MN-184 became infected, whereas those exposed to aerosols from pigs infected with PRRSV MN-30100 did not; the difference in transmission rate was significant at P = 0.04. We detected PRRSV MN-184 RNA but not PRRSV MN-30100 RNA in air samples by PCR. Under the conditions of this study, PRRSV isolate pathogenicity may influence aerosol transmission of the virus.