The transmission and spreading routes of Aujeszky′s disease in swine population

Aujeszkys disease (MA) is an infectious viral disease, caused by suid alpha herpes virus 1, which displays a very broad host range, except humans and primates. Pigs are the only animal species that can survive the infection with the MA virus, which accounts for its ability to be latently infected. Although pigs are considered a natural host and the main reservoar of the virus, the spreading and transmission mechanism cannot be always detected. The aim of the paper was to evaluate the routes of transmission and spread of MA virus in the swine population with different immunological stutus i.e. depending on the vaccinal status. The material for this research consisted of the samples from four swine farms, with health disorders i.e. clinical signs suggesting MA disease. The applied research methods included: epidemiological and clinical evaluation, pathomorphological examination, virology testing of tissues originating from the dead animals and serological testing in order to evaluate the specific antibodies against MA. The obtained results indicate that purchasing breeding animals with different or unknown health status regarding MA, represents the main route of transmission and spreading of the infection. Besides vaccination, which represents one of the measure in MA eradication, it is necessary to apply strict trade control and checking the health status of herds from where breeding animals are purchased.