Histological Lesions and Replication Sites of PCV3 in Naturally Infected Pigs

Simple Summary Diagnosing porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) is a challenge in pig production. Although the virus has been recently isolated, the patterns of PCV3-associated histological lesions are still to be elucidated. The present study describes the association of PCV3 mRNA by in situ hybridization within histological lesions and PCV3 DNA detected by real-time PCR in naturally infected pigs. The main histologic lesions associated with PCV3 mRNA detection were lymphoplasmacytic myocarditis and lymphoplasmacytic interstitial pneumonia, in heart and lung, respectively. Our findings offer robust guidance of microscopic lesions associated with PCV3, which may have a key role in PCV3 diagnosis. Porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) has been recently described as a potential cause of abortions and systemic vasculitis in pigs. Although the virus has been detected by real-time PCR in several porcine tissues from countries worldwide, PCV3-associated diseases have not been satisfactorily clarified. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the presence of PCV3 mRNA detected by in situ hybridization (ISH) within histological lesions and PCV3 DNA detected by real-time PCR in naturally infected pigs. A total of 25 PCV3 PCR-positive cases were analyzed. Formalin-fixed tissues from these cases were evaluated for histologic lesions and for ISH-RNA positive signals for PCV3. The most frequent tissue type with histopathologic lesions was heart, 76.2%, with lymphoplasmacytic myocarditis and epicarditis as the most frequent lesions observed. Lymphoplasmacytic interstitial pneumonia was also a frequent finding, 47.6%. There were also lesions in kidney, liver, spleen and lymph nodes. PCV3-ISH-RNA positive signals were mostly observed in association with lymphoplasmacytic inflammatory infiltrate in various tissues, including arteries. Based on our results, the minimum set of specimens to be submitted for histopathology and mRNA in situ hybridization to confirm or exclude a diagnosis of PCV3 are heart, lung and lymphoid tissues (i.e., spleen and lymph nodes), especially for differential diagnosis related with PCV2-associated diseases.