Identification of apoptotic cells in the thymus of piglets infected with highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

•The HP-PRRS virus induces apoptosis of thymocytes in infected piglets.•Double immunofluorescence was used to identify the subset of apoptotic cells.•Apoptotic cells, most of which were CD3+ T cells, were not infected by HP-PRRSV.•HP-PRRSV was only found in CD14+ cells.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is an immunosuppressive disease that is characterized by respiratory distress and poor growth in piglets and by severe reproductive failure in sows. PRRS was first recognized in the 1990s in Europe and the United States. In 2006, highly pathogenic (HP)-PRRS caused enormous economic losses in China. Our previous studies demonstrated that the HP-PRRS virus (HP-PRRSV) induced the apoptosis of numerous thymocytes in infected piglets, leading to severe thymus atrophy. To further identify the subset of apoptotic cells in thymus of HP-PRRSV-infected piglets, different cell types, apoptotic cells, and HP-PRRSV were marked with the corresponding markers. Results of the colocalization demonstrated that the apoptotic cells were not infected by HP-PRRSV, and most of them were CD3+ T cells. No apoptosis was observed in the epithelial cells, and only few CD14+ cells were apoptotic. HP-PRRSV was only found in CD14+ cells, and epithelial cells and CD3+ cells were not infected by HP-PRRSV. This is the first study to report the apoptotic and infected cells in the thymuses of HP-PRRSV-infected piglets.