Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a relatively new disease of swine that emerged in the United States in the late 1980s and in Europe in 1990. The syndrome is caused by a virus, the PRRS virus (PRRSV) which has been included into a newly proposed family of viruses, the Arteriviridae. Infection by PRRSV causes reproductive failure in pregnant females, characterized by late term abortion and early farowing, and an increased number of mummified and stillborn fetuses; newborn infected piglets are usually weak and unthrifty. Respiratory distress caused by PRRSV infection, characterized by flu-like symptons, can be observed in animals of all ages. Althought PRRS has been diagnosed in almost all pork-producing countries in the world, there is no published information available on the presence of the disease or the virus in Brazil. Nonetheless, because of the significant economic impact that PRRSV infection had on the swine industry of countries already affected, and the possibility of brazilian swine herds becoming infected, it is necessary to recognize the syndrome and take the appropriate measures for diagnosis and control during suspected cases of reproductive and respiratory problems in pigs.
swine; viral disease of swine; RNA vírus; PRRS; reproductive and respiratory disease
