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Epithelial distribution and replication of foot-and-mouth disease virus RNA in infected pigs

journal contribution
posted on 2008-08-01, 00:00 authored by S Durand, C Murphy, Z Zhang, Soren AlexandersenSoren Alexandersen
Although the pathogenesis of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been extensively investigated, relatively few studies have addressed the localization of FMD virus (FMDV) and in particular its replication in relation to the typical in-vivo sites of FMD lesions. In the present study, pigs were infected experimentally with FMDV serotype O UKG 34/2001 and tissue samples were collected from 1 to 4 days post-infection. Samples were stored at -70 degrees C and frozen sections were prepared for in-situ hybridization (ISH). A digoxigenin-labelled RNA probe complementary to a coding part of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (3D) genomic region was prepared. The FMDV positive strand RNA was prominent in the basal layers of the epithelium. A diffuse positive signal was also noted in the cytoplasm of cells of the stratum spinosum of lesional epithelium, but there was no signal in the stratum corneum. Detection of FMDV negative strand RNA was observed in basal cells above the basement membrane and along the dermal papillae. The basal cells therefore demonstrate the highest signal for detection of the FMDV positive and negative strand RNAs in both tongue and foot epithelium. These novel results suggest that the epithelial basal cells could be an early replication site of FMDV in vivo.

History

Journal

Journal of Comparative Pathology

Volume

139

Season

August-October

Pagination

86-96

Location

London, Eng

ISSN

0021-9975

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2008, Elsevier

Issue

2-3

Publisher

Elsevier