Three new isolates of porcine respiratory coronavirus with various pathogenicities and spike (S) gene deletions

Three new isolates of porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV) were isolated and partially characterized. These PRCV isolates showed a selective tropism for respiratory tissue and were antigenically related to transmissible gastroenteritis virus. PCR amplification of the 5' half of the spike (S) genes of the three PRCV isolates indicated that a large deletion, characteristic of PRCV, was present. By using cDNA probes specific for the transmissible gastroenteritis virus S gene, the PCR products were shown to be specific in a Southern blot. The three new PRCV isolates were shown to vary in S gene deletion size. In a separate study, these isolates have also been shown to vary in pathogenicity. These new PRCV isolates should serve as important tools in gaining a better understanding of the pathogenesis of coronavirus infections.