To detect viral agents and isolate porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2), 60 samples of lung and lymph node were collected from 5 to 12 week-old pigs that had showed clinical signs of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). Polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) were conducted to identify the viral pathogens including PCV1, PCV2, porcine parvovirus (PPV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) that have been considered to be the causal agents of PMWS. Among 60 samples, PCV 2 was detected from 57 samples but no PCV 1 was detected.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) has been associated with various disease in pigs worldwide including postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) and porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome (PDNS). In this study, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against PCV were produced, characterized and applications of MAbs as diagnostic reagents were described. Spleen or lymph node cells from BALB/c mouse immunized respectively with PCV-1, PCV-2 or expressed PCV-2/ORF2 proteins in baculovirus were fused with SP2/0 myeloma cells using polyethylene glycol (PEG) and hybridoma cells producing PCV-1 or PCV-2-specific antibody were screened by an indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) test.

In order to obtain the genetic informations of the Korean isolates of porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2), nucleotide sequences of total genome of three isolates and open reading frame 2 (ORF2) of four isolates were determined and compared with those of other reference PCV2 isolates. Nucleotide sequences of 3 isolates showed over 99% homology with those of reference strain (GenBank accession no. AF027217). Point mutations were mainly determined on ORF2 regions but little on ORF1 regions.