Preliminary PCR-Based Screening Indicates a Higher Incidence of Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus Subtype C (PERV-C) in Feral Versus Domestic Swine

Abstract

Xenotransplantation is considered a potential alternative to allotransplantation to relieve the current shortage of human organs. Due to their similar size and physiology, the organs of pigs are of particular interest for this purpose. Endogenous retroviruses are a result of integration of retroviral genomes into the genome of infected germ cells as DNA proviruses, which are then carried in all cells of the offspring of the organism. Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) are of special concern because they are found in pig organs and tissues that might otherwise be used for xenotransplantation. PERV proviruses can be induced to replicate and recombine in pigs, and have been shown to infect human cells in vitro. There are three subtypes of PERVs based on differences in the receptor binding domain of the env protein; PERV-A, PERV-B, and PERV-C. PERVs A and B can infect human cells in vitro and can recombine with PERV-C, resulting in a recombinant virus with a higher rate of replication in pig and human cell lines. In this study, we used a PCR-based analysis of 50 domestic and 35 feral pigs to study the distribution of PERVs A, B, and C in swine raised under domestic conditions, versus feral swine from rural areas. PERV-A and PERV-B were universal in both domestic and feral swine. Feral swine had a higher incidence of PERV-C (85.7%) compared to domestic swine (42.0%). Further studies in other feral swine herds are ongoing to verify this observation.

In silico mapping of microbial communities and stress responses in a porcine slaughterhouse and pork products through its production chain, and the efficacy of HLE disinfectant

“…Retroviral genomes become integrated into the genome of infected germ cells and thus they are detected in organs and tissues, which can be used for xenotransplantation (Acharya et al, 2019). This genus included mainly Porcine-type-C oncovirus species and cause malignant disease in animals and humans as shown in vitro by Acharya et al (2019); similarly Kim et al (2016) reported that viral zoonosis occurred under particular host conditions, such as immunosuppressive treatment and transplantation with hostadapted virus-producing cells, and thus transmission of PERV was created from different recipient cells in vivo. However, the in-vivo studies by Denner (2018) showed that PERV transmission has not been observed in any of the many preclinical and clinical xenotransplantation trials performed so far, and not in any of the many experimental PERV-infection experiments.…”