The present study has been performed to understand the location of the virus, type of apoptotic cells, and their relation to lymph nodes of piglets infected with porcine circovirus type II (PCV-2). Nine 32-day-old conventional piglets free of infection with PCV-2 were used, and distributed into three groups: control group (n=3), piglets inoculated with PCV-2 alone (PCV-2, n = 3), and PCV-2 inoculated and KLH immunostimulated group (PCV-2 + KLH, n = 3). Superficial inguinal lymph nodes from all piglets were collected for histological examination after 32 days postinoculation, and immunohistochemistry for PCV-2 detection. Location of apoptotic cells was detected with TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) and cell cycle, and the apoptotic rates were measured by flow cytometry. The characteristic histopathological lesions of the piglets in PCV-2 and PCV-2 + KLH were lymphocyte depletions in the cortex and paracortex of the lymph nodes, epithelioid-like macrophage infiltration, and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies presented in epithelioid-like macrophages. PCV-2 was mainly found in epithelioid-like macrophages by immunohistochemistry. In the lymph nodes, lymphocytes presented higher apoptotic rates in the cortex by TUNEL, special B-cell areas, and similar apoptotic cells were found in this compartment in the control. The apoptotic rates of the lymph nodes were 0.41, 3.34, and 4.88% in the control, PCV-2, and PCV-2 + KLH groups by flow cytometry, respectively. The apoptotic rates of lymph nodes for PCV-2 and PCV-2 + KLH piglets were significantly higher than those for the control group (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01). The proliferation index (PI) was 0.17 ± 0.01, 0.12 ± 0.01 and 0.12 ± 0.04 in the control, PCV-2, and PCV-2 + KLH group, the PI of the control group was higher than that of the other groups, but without the statistical difference. PCV-2 can induce lymphocyte depletion in lymph nodes of piglets by blocking cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. This is one of the mechanisms of immunosuppression on infected piglets by PCV-2.
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