Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) remains an infectious agent with high importance in the swine industry. In this study, the influence of maternally derived antibodies (MDAs) on an experimental PRRSV-1 challenge is investigated. Piglets included in the study ( = 36) originated from a Belgian farrow-to-finish herd in which the sow population was routinely vaccinated with a modified live vaccine against PRRSV. Eighteen piglets were born from three PRRSV-seropositive sows (responders to vaccination) and had a clear presence of PRRSV-specific MDAs (E+ piglets). The other eighteen piglets were born from three PRRSV-seronegative sows (non-responders to vaccination) and did not have PRRSV-specific MDAs (E- piglets). In each group, twelve piglets were intranasally challenged with a high dose of the heterologous PRRSV-1 07V063 strain, the remaining piglets were mock-challenged (PBS) and served as controls. During the first days after infection, higher serum viremia and nasal shedding were observed in the challenged E- piglets compared to the challenged E+ piglets. However, at 10 days post-infection, the peak serum viremia was significantly higher in the E+ piglets in comparison to the E- piglets and serum viremia remained slightly higher in this group until the end of the study. Additionally, the two challenged groups had a different immune response to the PRRSV infection. The E- challenged piglets showed an earlier and more intense seroconversion, leading to significantly higher antibody titers at 10 dpi compared to the E+ challenged piglets. Furthermore, a trend towards both higher induction of serum IFN-γ and higher induction of IFN-γ secreting cells was observed in the E- challenged piglets. In contrast, a significantly higher induction of serum TNF-α at 7 dpi was seen in the E+ challenged piglets compared to the E- challenged piglets. The results gathered in this study suggest that PRRSV-specific MDAs induce partial protection during the early stages of infection but are not sufficient to protect against a high challenge dose. The presence of piglets lacking PRRSV-specific MDAs might pose a risk for PRRSV infection and enhanced transmission in pig farms in young piglets.
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