Molecular detection of Porcine cytomegalovirus(PCMV) in wild boars from Northeastern Patagonia, Argentina

DE MAIO F A; WINTER M; ABATE S; BIROCHIO D E; IGLESIAS N G; BARRIO D A; BELLUSCI

REVISTA ARGENTINA DE MICROBIOLOGíA

ASOCIACION ARGENTINA MICROBIOLOGIA

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2020

0325-7541

Porcine cytomegalovirus (PCMV) is a recognized pathogen of domestic swine that iswidely distributed around the world. PCMV is the etiological agent of inclusion body rhinitisand has also been associated with other diseases that cause substantial losses in swine produc-tion. Wild boar populations can act as reservoirs of numerous infectious agents that affect piglivestock, including PCMV. The aim of this work was to assess the circulation of this virus in free-living wild boars that inhabit Northeastern Patagonia (Buenos Aires and Río Negro Provinces),Argentina. Nested-PCR assays were conducted to evaluate the presence of PCMV in samples oftonsil tissue collected from 62 wild boar individuals. It was found that the overall rate of infec-tion was about 56%, with significant higher values (almost 90%) in the age group correspondingto piglets (animals less than 6 months old). In addition, a seasonal variation was observed inthe PCMV detection rate, with an increase during the transition from summer to autumn. Inconclusion, this study confirmed that wild boars are major carriers and dispersal agents of PCMVin Northeastern Patagonia, which raises the necessity to evaluate the extent to which this virusaffects local livestock production.© 2021 Asociaci´on Argentina de Microbiolog´ıa. Published by Elsevier Espa?na, S.L.U. This is anopen access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).