The silent spread of Porcine Bocavirus in Croatian pigs: should we be concerned?

A survey was conducted to evaluate the presence and prevalence of Porcine Bocavirus (PBoV) in Croatian domestic pigs by means of PCR targeting the NS1 gene fragment of PBoV. This study included testing of faecal samples collected from 10 small commercial farms and 11 small backyard holdings in Croatia. The presence of PBoV was confirmed by PCR in 24 out of 57 composite faecal samples from small commercial farms and in 12 out of 43 composite faecal samples from small backyard holdings. The PCR products of 18 positive samples were sequenced for genotyping. PBoV sequences grouped into the PBoV-a, PBoV-b and PBoV-c groups with 90.81% to 99.25% nucleotide identity. All Croatian PBoV sequences showed a high nucleotide and amino acid identity with PBoV sequences from China and Hong Kong, the United States, Sweden, and Slovenia. These results clearly show that PBoV is circulating among the domestic pig population in Croatia.