CYTOKINE PRODUCTION BY PIGS INFECTED IN-UTERO WITH PORCINE REPRODUCTIVE AND RESPIRATORY SYNDROME VIRUS

摘要

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome vims (PRRSV) is an enveloped, single-stranded, positive RNA virus newly proposed as a member of the Arteriviridae group. The increases in incidence of secondary bacterial diseases commonly associated withPRRS suggest that PRRSV infection causes imimmosuppression. We have previously demonstrated that in-utero infection with PRRSV can significantly increase piglet's susceptibility to Streptococcus suis type 2 infection. We also found in-utero infection caused changes of thymocyte subpopulations and T lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood of piglets. These results suggest that in-utero infection with PRRSV can modulate immune functions in piglets. Cytokines play a central role in modulation of immunological and physiological processes in animals. Information about the cytokine production in PRRSV infection may be crucial for us to understand the pathogenesis of the disease and the host immune response to the virus. In this study, we evaluated the cytokine signalling patterns by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from piglets infected in-utero with PRRSV.