Pathological investigations of pigs with porcine multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS)

Abstract

Extract Pathological changes and immunohistochemical (IHC) examination for porcine circovirus-2 (PCV-2) in nine weaner pigs from a property with PMWS are reported. The pigs were in moderate to poor body condition, and several had diarrhoea and noisy respiration. The outstanding pathological changes related to microscopic lesions in lymphoid tissues, including lymph nodes, palatine tonsils, Peyer's patches, peribronchial lymphoid aggregates and spleen. While there was variability of expression of change between and within cases, the main features of lesions could be summarised as depletion of lymphoid cells, infiltration of histiocytes (often syncytial), and the presence of botryoid intra-cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in macrophages. The changes in lymphoid tissue were typical of those described in PMWS. Also characteristic of this syndrome were histiocyte-dominated cellular inflammatory infiltrates in kidney, liver and lung. There was strong correlation between IHC positivity for PCV-2 and the lesions in lymphoid, pulmonary and renal tissues. Concurrent diseases that are probably promoted by immune suppression may complicate the diagnosis of PMWS. In the present cases, salmonellosis, attaching and effacing Escherichia coli infections, and secondary bacterial bronchopneumonia were identified.