First detection of porcine respirovirus 1 in Germany and in the Netherlands

PRV1 was first detected in deceased pigs from Hong Kong in 2013. It has since been detected in the USA, Chile and most recently in Hungary. Information on the pathogenicity and global spread is sparse, however it has been speculated to play a role in the porcine respiratory disease complex. In an effort to investigate the porcine virome, we screened 53 pig samples from 29 farms using SMg within the Dutch/German border region. In five farms we detected PRV1. qPCR confirmed the presence of the virus in 2 of these farms and found an additional 6 positive farms. Phylogenetic analysis found the closest match to the first detected PRV1 strain in Hong Kong. The Dutch/German region represents a major area of pig farming within Europe and could provide important information on the characterization and circulation of porcine viruses, such as PRV1. Together with the recent detection of PRV1 in Hungary, these findings suggest widespread of PRV1 in Central Europe, highlighting the need for further research on persistence, pathogenicity and transmission in Europe.