Swine Pseudorabies: Abortion, Clinical Disease, and Lesions in Pregnant Gilts Infected with Pseudorabies Virus (Aujeszky's Disease)

Abstract

SUMMARY Intranasal inoculation or contact exposure of 12 pregnant gilts with pseudorabies virus ( prv ) resulted in the death of 5 gilts. The clinical disease was characterized by fever, anorexia, sneezing, coughing, central nervous system ( cns ) signs, vomition, and pruritus. The major lesions were severe nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis and fibrinopurulent inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. Inclusion bodies were usually absent. Surviving gilts developed a vaginal discharge and either did not farrow or farrowed all mummified fetuses, all normal pigs, or a mixture of mummified fetuses and normal pigs. Average live litter size was 1.9 pigs in principals and 7.7 pigs in controls. For 15 days after exposure, prv could be isolated from the upper respiratory tracts of the gilts but not from vaginal discharges or from fetal membranes or tissues.