ARS | Publication request: State of the art: lessons learned through porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) recombinant technology

Submitted to: International Congress of Virology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: February 28, 2008
Publication Date: August 10, 2008
Citation: Faaberg, K.S. 2008. State of the Art: Lessons Learned Through Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) Recombinant Technology. XIVth International Congress of Virology. Paper No. 675.

Technical Abstract: PRRS disease is economically devastating in many parts of the world. Much is known about the virus, including the vast amount of isolate heterogeneity related to its ability to readily undergo viral recombination contributing to an remarkable rate of evolution and its inability to induce protective immune responses. However, the underlying cause of the overall disease phenotype is not yet fully understood. One way to discover molecular mechanisms of disease is through reverse genetics, and such recombinant technology has now been developed for two strains of Type 1 (European-like) PRRSV as well as several strains of Type 2 (North American-like) PRRSV. In addition, deletion mutants and chimeric viruses have been constructed and analyzed. This presentation will review what has been learned through reverse genetics, including recent studies examining the role of PRRSV non-structural protein 2 and its deletion mutants and the attempts to define viral genes associated with strain virulence through in vivo examination of chimeric viruses.