🦠 Orthopneumovirus as a cause of respiratory disease in pigs?

💡 It is a member of the family Pneumoviridae and this virus was picked up several times by vets using PathoSense in the field (NL, DE, BE).

🐷  This rather novel virus can be found in domestic pigs and feral swine and is distantly related to respiratory syncytial virus in cattle and humans. Pneumoviruses have also been described in mice and dogs.

📈  A seroprevalence study has demonstrated the circulation of this virus in French pigs, potentially in association with respiratory disease (Richard et al., 2018, Vet Res).

🤧  What we know from cattle and humans is that pneumoviruses have a tropism for the lungs. In babies, they cause bronchiolitis. This virus is thus potentially involved in flu-like diseases that are often observed in pigs in the field. Might also be an interesting model for human medicine.