Research conducted by Iowa State University has confirmed the presence of Porcine circovirus type 4 in the United States.Since first being described in 2019, Porcine circovirus type 4 has been detected in Asia and Europe but it had not been found in the U.S.
As part of an Iowa State University study, funded by the Swine Health Information Center, PCV4 was detected for the first time in clinical samples collected in the U.S. and submitted to the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory between June and September of 2023.SHIC Executive Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder says this was the first study to look at, is it circulating in the U.S. swine population and how prevalent is it?
Quote-Dr. Megan Niederwerder-Swine Health Information Center:
These samples included lung, feces, spleen, serum, lymphoid tissue and fetal tissue.In all of the samples that were tested utilizing PCR, so looking for the genome of PCV4, there was a total of 8.6 percent positive with the sample type that had the greatest positivity being lymphoid tissue, which is very consistent with circoviruses in that they target lymphoid tissue and cause lymphoid depletion.