New Emergence of the Novel Pestivirus Linda Virus in a Pig Farm in Carinthia, Austria
Alexandra Kiesler,
Lukas Schwarz,
Christiane Riedel,
Sandra Högler,
René Brunthaler,
Katharina Dimmel,
Angelika Auer,
Marianne Zaruba,
Marlene Mötz,
Kerstin Seitz,
Andrea Ladinig,
Benjamin Lamp,
Till Rümenapf
Affiliations
Alexandra Kiesler
Department for Pathobiology, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Lukas Schwarz
University Clinic for Swine, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Christiane Riedel
Department for Pathobiology, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Sandra Högler
Department for Pathobiology, Institute of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
René Brunthaler
Department for Pathobiology, Institute of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Katharina Dimmel
Department for Pathobiology, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Angelika Auer
Department for Pathobiology, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Marianne Zaruba
Department for Pathobiology, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Marlene Mötz
Department for Pathobiology, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Kerstin Seitz
Department for Pathobiology, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Andrea Ladinig
University Clinic for Swine, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Benjamin Lamp
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Virology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Schubertstrasse 81, 35392 Giessen, Germany
Till Rümenapf
Department for Pathobiology, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Linda virus (LindaV) was first identified in a pig farm in Styria, Austria in 2015 and associated with congenital tremor (CT) type A-II in newborn piglets. Since then, only one more LindaV affected farm was retrospectively discovered 10 km away from the initially affected farm. Here, we report the recent outbreak of a novel LindaV strain in a farrow-to-finish farm in the federal state Carinthia, Austria. No connection between this farm and the previously affected farms could be discovered. The outbreak was characterized by severe CT cases in several litters and high preweaning mortality. A herd visit two months after the onset of clinical symptoms followed by a diagnostic workup revealed the presence of several viremic six-week-old nursery pigs. These animals shed large amounts of virus via feces and saliva, implying an important epidemiological role for within- and between-herd virus transmission. The novel LindaV strain was isolated and genetically characterized. The findings underline a low prevalence of LindaV in the Austrian pig population and highlight the threat when introduced into a pig herd. Furthermore, the results urge the need to better understand the routes of persistence and transmission of this enigmatic pestivirus in the pig population.
