Molecular detection of bovine and porcine Torque teno virus in plasma and feces.

Torque teno virus (TTV) is frequently detected in humans, livestock and some companion animals. Very little is known about presence of TTV in Canadian livestock and the goal of this study was to evaluate the presence of TTV in swine and cattle using molecular tools. TTV DNA was detected and confirmed by sequencing in the plasma of 90.5% and in the feces of 60.3% of the animals tested in a single swine herd as well as 80.9% and 1.1% in the plasma of individuals from general Quebec swine and cattle populations, respectively. The impact of the TTV presence in livestock population for the agri-food chain should be further investigated.