Abstract
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome is one of the most economically devastating diseases of the swine industry and affects all swine producing countries worldwide. The disease is caused by Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV). The virus is macrophage-tropic and infects tissue macrophages in the host animal. However, nothing is known about how the phagosome lumenal microenvironment in the macrophages may be modified in PRRSV infection. Such knowledge is crucial for understanding how microbicidal and antigen presentation functions of the macrophage may be compromised during PRRSV infection. The field of PRRSV biology also suffers from the dearth of existence of a good in vitro system for studying the virus biology in a methodical and reductionist fashion. This thesis establishes an in vitro system for studying PRRSV infection. Using this newly established in vitro system of PRRSV infection in porcine bone marrow derived macrophages, this study investigates how the phagosome microenvironment changes in porcine macrophages in PRRSV infection. This study also investigates how phagosome lumenal properties are modified in porcine alveolar macrophages isolated from PRRSV infected pregnant gilts.
