{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T17:08:18Z","timestamp":1787591298134,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,16]],"date-time":"2026-02-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771200000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"open competition program of the top ten critical priorities of Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation for the 14th Five-Year Plan of Guangdong Province","award":["2024KJ14"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024KJ14"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The detection rate of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus type 1 (PRRSV-1) in China has been increasing, with its growing genetic diversity and evolving pathogenicity posing significant challenges to disease control. In this study, a novel PRRSV-1 strain, designated GD18-2, was identified from a pig farm in Guangdong Province that experienced an outbreak despite vaccination with a PRRSV-2 vaccine. Whole-genome sequencing indicated that the GD18-2 strain possesses a genome length of 14,932 bp and exhibits 81.4% to 83.9% nucleotide identity with classical PRRSV-1 strains. Phylogenetic analyses based on both the complete genome and the ORF5 gene indicated that GD18-2 belongs to a distinct, new lineage. A unique amino acid deletion (positions 306\u2013357) was identified in the non-structural protein Nsp2, along with specific mutations within the hypervariable regions of the structural proteins GP3 and GP4. Pathogenicity assessment demonstrated that GD18-2 induced fever, respiratory symptoms, and mortality in piglets. In pregnant sows, it caused reproductive failure (abortion, stillbirth, weak piglets) and was capable of vertical transmission via the placenta. This study highlights the emergence of a PRRSV-1 strain with a unique genetic background and high pathogenicity in southern China, underscoring the necessity for enhanced molecular epidemiological surveillance and updated control strategies. Recombination analysis using RDP4 revealed no significant recombination events in GD18-2.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16040630","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,16]],"date-time":"2026-02-16T14:09:54Z","timestamp":1771250994000},"page":"630","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Emergence and Pathogenicity of a Novel PRRSV-1 Strain GD18-2 in Southern China"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Feibao","family":"Huang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hui","family":"Guo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi","family":"Song","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuanyuan","family":"Fu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Guangrun","family":"Qin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Limiao","family":"Lin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wen\u2019s Food Group, Yunfu 527400, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haishen","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wen\u2019s Food Group, Yunfu 527400, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bohua","family":"Ren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wen\u2019s Food Group, Yunfu 527400, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qunhui","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wen\u2019s Food Group, Yunfu 527400, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yu","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510000, China"},{"name":"Wen\u2019s Food Group, Yunfu 527400, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2461-2848","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zezhong","family":"Zheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510000, China"},{"name":"Wen\u2019s Food Group, Yunfu 527400, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"129","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-animal-022114-111025","article-title":"Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (prrsv): Pathogenesis and interaction with the immune system","volume":"4","author":"Lunney","year":"2016","journal-title":"Annu. 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