A pilot study was carried out to find out the seroprevalence of Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2), classical swine fever virus (CSFV), and Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus (PRRS) in pig population of Meghalaya

Introduction: The work has been attempted to detect and genetically characterise the nature of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) isolates from the porcine population of the north east.Methods and Material: The samples have been collected over a two year period and are from areas where there is a mixed and integrated rearing of livestock in close proximity. The isolates were identified, cloned and sequenced using BVD specific genomic primers for two important domains viz., E-2 and 5’ UTR.Results: Porcine BVD Sequences were analysed phylogenetically. Divergence in 3 sequences is noted in the 5’ UTR region that are forming a clear outlier group while E-2 sequences are coming close to BVDV group but forming a separate cluster.

The present study focused on the detection and genetic characterisation of 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR) and E2 gene of classical swine fever virus (CSFV, family Flaviviridae, genus Pestivirus) from bovine population of the northeastern region of India. A total of 134 cattle serum samples were collected from organised cattle farms and were screened for CSFV antigen with a commercial antigen capture enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (Ag-ELISA) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A total of 10 samples were positive for CSFV antigen by ELISA, while all of them were positive in PCR for 5′UTR region. Full length E2 region of CSFV were successfully amplified from two positive samples and used for subsequent phylogenetic analysis and determination of protein 3D structure which showed similarity with reported CSFV isolate from Assam of sub-genogroup 2.1, with minor variations in protein structure.

Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic, highly pathogenic, biosafety level 4 (BSL4) virus within the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus. Humans infected with NiV suffer primarily from severe encephalitis with pulmonary involvement in high percentage of patients, and with fatal outcome in about 40% or more of laboratory confirmed cases, depending on the outbreak. Encroachment of human populations into wildlife habitat is the prime cause for the emergence of these diseases. Emergence also depends on the presence of domestic animal ‘amplifier’ hosts, changes in agricultural operations and human behaviour. In case of NiV, it appears that change in the distribution of flora associated with intensively managed farms (i.e. introduction of fruit bats) along with a probability of viral transmission between co-evolved (fruit bats) and naïve (pig) hosts. Serologic studies also suggested that NiV infection occurred in dogs, cats and two polo ponies and in bats in the outbreak area in Malaysia. Two key features of this outbreak were the fatal encephalitis and infection of human having direct contact with pigs. Pathologic studies of infected human and pig tissues provided plausible explanations for these two features of the outbreak. Studies on the status of NiV is of national importance as the disease has occurred and re-emerged in Bangladesh; moreover, there is a very large population of pigs in the north eastern states. The combination of the pathogen prevalence in the near vicinity, along with presence of susceptible reservoir hosts in large numbers could be extremely favourable for emergence of this disease. Better understanding of the NiV infection in swine would be critical for developing control measures, before another NiV disease outbreak initiate in swine.

Porcine circovirus-2 (PCV-2) is primarily detected as a causative agent of post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), a multi-factorial disease with major economic repercussions on global pig industry. This was apparent until 1996 when the syndrome PCVAD and the causative agent PCV were recognised. The present review focuses on the assemblage of the disease profile of the virus and the immune response of the animals and also the recombination events of the virus towards a virulent form that makes the virus ubiquitous in farms. This review also coins the pathway of Classical swine fever (CSF) vaccine failure in Indian scenario due to the immunosuppressive nature of PCV2 remains a challenging task and needs long-term, joint efforts of stakeholders.