20.500.12556/RUL-180373 The applicability of pig oral fluid in laboratory diagnostics of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome and its effectiveness in controlled exposure of gilts Background: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) remain a major challenge for swine health and production, and effective control depends on successful acclimation of replacement gilts. Natural exposure is commonly used but offers limited control over infection timing and immune response. This study evaluated the use of PRRS virus (PRRSV)–contaminated oral fluid (OF) ropes as an additional or sole acclimation tool and assessed the usefulness of serum and OF for monitoring PRRSV infection. Methods: Ninety-six (96) PRRSV-naïve replacement gilts were allocated to six groups (16 gilts each) and exposed to PRRSV by natural contact with infected pigs, natural exposure combined with OF-contaminated ropes, or OF-contaminated ropes alone. PRRSV RNA and anti-PRRSV antibodies were monitored weekly for 9 weeks using RT-PCR and ELISA in individual serum samples and group OF samples. Results: PRRSV infection and seroconversion occurred in all gilts exposed through natural contact, whereas exposure to OF-contaminated ropes alone did not result in consistent infection or acclimation. Gilts receiving additional exposure via contaminated ropes showed significantly earlier detection of viremia and more gilts were deemed non-viremic sooner compared with gilts exposed only by natural contact. Significant differences in antibody responses between treatment groups were observed at several time points. Detection of PRRSV RNA and antibodies in OF generally reflected serum results, although variability in antibody detection in OF was noted. Conclusion: Supplemental exposure using PRRSV-contaminated OF accelerates infection and immune response during gilt acclimation when combined with nat- ural exposure but is insufficient as a standalone method. Oral fluid sampling rep- resents a practical tool for monitoring PRRSV acclimation under field conditions. disease control gilt acclimatization GLMM molecular diagnostic methods oral fluid PRRS virus random effect models serological methods nadzor bolezni aklimatizacija mladic GLMM molekularne diagnostične metode ustna tekočina virus PRRS modeli naključnih učinkov serološke metode true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-03-07 04:39:39 2026-03-09 11:38:01 2026-03-10 04:28:30 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 9 str. Vol. 13, art. 1795728 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno apc 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 636.09:616 2297-1769 10.3389/fvets.2026.1795728 270752003 The_applicability-Stukelj.pdf The_applicability-Stukelj.pdf 1 2C8A3BEEC0CF88014CBA059D6721327E 4c6b9bf6e70cb7127342e65b79c0933e892a225352729f43316920d48d67784f ab223c79-1ba3-11f1-a1ba-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=229793 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2026.1795728/full?utm_source=F-NTF&utm_medium=EMLX&utm_campaign=PRD_FEOPS_20170000_ARTICLE 1 e614f11c-19d6-11f1-a1ba-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=229716 Veterinarska fakulteta 0 0 0