Clinical Manifestations of Senecavirus A Infection in Neonatal Pigs, Brazil, 2015

Abstract

We identified new clinical manifestations associated with Senecavirus A infection in neonatal piglets in Brazil in 2015. Immunohistochemical and molecular findings confirmed the association of Senecavirus A with these unusual clinical signs and more deaths. Other possible disease agents investigated were not associated with these illnesses.

Keywords: Brazil; Seneca Valley virus; Senecavirus A; pathogenesis; picornavirus infection; piglets; swine; viruses.

Figure 1

Pathologic alterations in piglets infected with Senecavirus A, Brazil, 2015. Gross examination shows multifocal diphtheric glossitis (A) and ulcerations of the coronary band (B). Histopathologic images demonstrate ballooning degeneration of the epithelium of the tongue (C) and positive immunoreactivity of the uroepithelium of the urinary bladder (D) to Senecavirus A. Panel B, scale shown in centimeters; panel C, hematoxylin and eosin stain; scale bar indicates 20 μm; panel D, immunoperoxidase; scale bar indicates 10 μm.

Figure 2

Phylogenetic relationship of strains of Senecavirus A identified in Brazil during 2015 (black circles) and other sequences available in GenBank derived from species of picornavirus associated with vesicular disease. Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree construction used the Kimura 2-parameter model with γ distribution based on the partial viral protein (VP) 3/VP1 region of the Senecavirus A genome. GenBank accession numbers are given in parentheses. Bootstrap values determined in 1,000 replication. Scale bar indicates nucleotide substitutions per site.