Molecular detection of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, porcine circovirus 2 and hepatitis E virus in oral fluid compared to their detection in faeces and serum

Background: Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV), Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2) andHepatitis E virus (HEV) are common and economically important viral disease causative agents detected in pig oralfluid (OF), faeces and serum at some infection stages. The purpose of this study was to detect PRRSV, PCV2 andHEV on six pig farms to determine which of the three sample types, OF, faeces or serum is appropriate for thediagnosis of these viruses in different pig categories. The following pig categories were included: 5 weeks-old (w/o), 7 w/o, 9 w/o, 11 w/o weaners, fatteners and breedingsows. Pursuant to the preliminary detection of each pathogen at the selected farms, OF samples, faeces, serum poolsand 10 individual sera were examined, using PCR, for each age category. If any of the viruses were found in pools offaeces and OF, then faeces and OF from positive farms were tested separately for each pig category. The viral nucleicacids were detected using RT-PCR, PCR and real-time RT-PCR, for PRRSV, PCV2 and HEV respectively. Results: PRRSV and HEV were detected on one farm and PCV2 on three others, positive results being more oftenobtained from the OF than from the faeces of the same animals. Ten individual serum samples from pigs from thesame group of animals were also tested. The viruses were detected in almost all individual sera and OF in the same pigcategory with some exceptions: PRRSV was detected in the OF of fatteners but was absent in their seraon Farm 2, PCV2was detected in sera of 11 w/o pigs and fatteners but absent in group samples of their OF and, vice versa, in case of 9 w/o animalsHEV was detected in the OF of the youngest, 5 w/o weaners and absent in sera of the same age group. Conclusions: The primary finding of the study is that OF is a welfare-friendly, non-invasive and highly efficient matrix forpathogen detection, thus evidencing the usefulness of pig OF as a matrix in whicheach of the three viruses consideredcan be detected with the highest probability