Tertiary lymphoid organs in wild boar exposed to a low-virulent isolate of African swine fever virus

Abstract

Despite the great interest in the development of a vaccine against African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar, the immunological mechanisms that induce animal protection are still unknown. For this purpose, tertiary lymphoid organs (TLOs) of wild boar were characterised and compared with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues (MALTs) by histopathology, histomorphometry and immunohistochemistry (CD3, CD79, PAX5, LYVE1, fibronectin). In addition, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (p72) were used to evaluate the presence of ASF virus (ASFV) in blood and tissues samples, respectively. TLOs were observed in animals infected with a low-virulent ASFV isolate (LVI), animals co-infected with low and high-virulent ASFV isolates (LVI-HVI) and animals infected only with the high virulence isolate (HVI). TLOs in LVI and LVI-HVI groups were located adjacent to the mucosa and presented a similar structure to MALT. Immunoexpresion of p72 observed in the inflammatory cells adjacent to TLOs/MALTs confirmed its development and reactivity generated by ASF attenuated isolates. Immunohistochemical evaluation, based on cellular composition (T and B lymphocytes), and histomorphometrical study revealed a more pronounced maturation of TLOs/MALTs in the LVI-HVI group. It is currently unclear whether these formations play a protective role by contributing to local immunity in chronic inflammatory diseases. However, the structural similarities between TLOs and MALTs and the location of TLOs close to the mucosa suggest that they may perform a similar function, facilitating a local protective response. Nevertheless, further investigations are warranted to assess the cellular and humoral dynamics of these lymphoid organs induced by attenuated isolates.