Abstract(s)
Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium spp. Among monogastric farm animals,
swine are the most susceptible to DON as it markedly reduces feed intake and decreases weight gain.
DON has also been shown to increase susceptibility to viral infections; therefore the objective of this
study was to investigate in vitro impact of DON on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus
(PRRSV). Permissive cells were infected or not with PRRSV and were treated with increasing concentrations
of DON. Cell survival and mortality were evaluated by determining the number of viable cells with a
tetrazolium compound and by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, respectively. Virus titration
and antiviral cytokines mRNA expression were evaluated by quantitative PCR. DON significantly
affected the survival of noninfected cells in a dose dependent manner. However, DON concentrations
between 140 and 280 significantly increased the survival of cells infected with PRRSV. These concentrations
significantly decreased PRRSV replication by inducing a pro-inflammatory cytokines environment
and an early activation of apoptosis, which in turn seem to interrupt viral replication. For the first time,
this study showed that DON had significant effects on the survival of PRRSV infected cells and on virus
replication, in a dose dependent manner.