Characterization of acute phase proteins associated with a porcine epidemic diarrhea virus outbreak in suckling piglets and sows in Mexico

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the relationships between four acute phase proteins (APP), and the pathological effects of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in piglets and sows. Virus detection was done in laboratory (PCR method) with feces samples. Blood samples were obtained from lactating sows and piglets that survived the first day of life according to the presence or absence of characteristic enteric signs (ES) of the disease: vomiting and diarrhea. (I) Neonatal piglets without ES (n=7), (II) Neonatal piglets with ES (n=8), (III) Sows without ES (n=6), and (IV) Sows with ES (n=6). To determine the APP concentration in blood, serum amyloid A (SAA) and haptoglobin (HAP) were determined by a non species specific commercial ELISA assay. C-reactive protein (CRP) and PIGMAP serum levels were quantified by monoclonal antibody sandwich ELISA assay. Finally, no significant differences (P>0.05) were found in serum concentrations of different APP between piglets and sows with and without ES. Piglet survival is linked by the degree of dehydration during diarrhea; PEDV causes ES quickly and severely before of the induction of pro inflammatory cytokines, but this pathological synthesis still remains unclear.