Seroepidemiology of porcine enteric sapovirus in pig farms in Venezuela

Porcine enteric sapovirus (PES) has been shown to cause diarrhea under experimental conditions in gnotobiotic piglets. However, the role of PES as enteric pathogens in porcine farms remains unclear. To further understand the PES-host interactions under field conditions, a serological survey was carried out. To this end the capsid gene of a PES isolate was cloned in the baculovirus expression system and an ELISA was developed based on virus-like particles from the baculovirus-expressed PES capsid protein. A total of 85 serum samples collected from pigs ranging from 8 weeks to over 54 weeks of age were analyzed. An overall seroprevalence to PESs of 62% was found, with significant differences …