The efficacy of a porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) subunit vaccine was evaluated and compared with a modified-live virus (MLV) vaccine under field conditions. Three farms were selected based on their history of respiratory diseases caused by co-infection with both PRRSV-1 and PRRSV-2. In each farm, 60 pigs were randomly allocated to 2 vaccinated and 1 unvaccinated groups (20 pigs per group). One group of pigs were administered the PRRS subunit vaccine at 21 and 42 days of age and another group administered the PRRS MLV vaccine at 21 days of age. The subunit vaccine had similar efficacy and, in some instances, performed even better than the MLV vaccine. Vaccination of pigs with either of the PRRS vaccines resulted in significantly improved growth performance in Farm B but not in Farm C. In Farm A, pigs vaccinated with the PRRS subunit vaccine had a better growth performance statistically compared to those vaccinated with the PRRS MLV vaccine. At the peak of PRRSV-1 and PRRSV-2 viremia, neutralizing antibodies and T-cell responses against PRRSV-1 and PRRSV-2 were at low levels suggesting that either vaccine is only able to provide a partial protection against co-circulating PRRSV-1 and PRRSV-2.

The impact of surgical correction of cranial cruciate ligament-deficient stifles (CCDS) on the 3-dimensional (3D) kinematics of the canine stifle has been sparsely evaluated. Tightrope (TR) cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) has been proposed to restore baseline 3D kinematics in CCDS by using isometric points. We hypothesized that TR would restore baseline 3D kinematics of the stifle in our model. Ten pelvic limbs were used with a previously validated apparatus. Three experimental conditions were evaluated: i) intact stifle, ii) cranial cruciate ligament transection (CCLt), and iii) CCLt stabilized with TR; kinematic data was recorded. Tightrope CCL in CCDS did not limit sagittal flexion. Tightrope CCL neutralized internal rotation without restoring baseline curves, but it did not restore abduction, nor did it neutralize or restore cranial translation, but it did restore latero-medial and proximo-distal translations. In our model, TR without pre-conditioning of the FiberTape strands did not restore baseline stifle 3D kinematics and residual cranial translation could result in frequent meniscal tears.

In Korea, for the past 30 years (1987-present), porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) has been established as an endemic situation in which multiple genogroups of classical G1 and G2b, and the recently introduced pandemic G2a, coexisted. Because of the dynamic nature of the virus, continuous field monitoring for PEDV strains is required. This study is the first to reveal prevalence of PEDV in 9 sampling provinces, with an overall detection rate of 6.70%. Porcine endemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) was present in pigs of all ages, especially in the non-PED vaccinated groups. The highest detection rate was in the finisher group (2.34%), followed by that in the newborn group (1.56%). Secondly, using Sanger sequencing, this study recovered a complete genome (28 005 nucleotides long) of NB1 strain from a farm severely affected by PED. Analyses of nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences showed that NB1 differed from 18 other Korean PEDV mostly in 4 protein coding genes: ORF1a, ORF1b, S, and N. Two amino acid substitutions (V635E and Y681Q) in the COE and S1D neutralizing epitopes of NB1 resulted in antigenic index alteration of the adjacent sites, one of which contributed to a mutation that escaped neutralizing antibodies.