Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction Detection and Duration of Porcine Circovirus Type 2 in Semen with Sperm Morphological Analysis from Naturally Infected Boars

Abstract

A nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) protocol was applied to porcine semen to demonstrate the porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) shedding patterns and duration in naturally infected boars. Sperm morphology analysis was performed on a subset of samples to determine if the presence of PCV2 DNA in semen was associated with reduced semen quality. Semen was collected serially from 43 boars representing 6 breeds, aged 33.9 to 149.3 weeks. Of the 903 semen samples collected, 30 samples (3.3%) were positive for PCV2 DNA by nPCR from 13 boars. Boars shedding PCV2 DNA in semen ranged between 35.9 and 71.0 weeks of age, and shedding occurred during a period of up to 27.3 weeks. A semen nPCR test was 2.6 times more likely to be positive when collected from pigs that were ≤52 weeks of age, and 3.0 times more likely to be positive when collected from pigs that were ≤26 weeks from time of entry into the stud main unit (generalized estimating equations: P = 0.02; 95% confidence interval [CI] of the odds ratio 1.2 to 5.5, and P = 0.01; 95% CI of the odds ratio 1.3 to 6.9, respectively). These results demonstrate a sporadic and long-term shedding pattern of PCV2 DNA in semen from naturally infected boars. PCV2 DNA in semen does not appear to have detrimental effects on sperm morphology; however, boar age and, possibly, breed may contribute to the persistence of PCV2-shedding in semen.