{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]],"date-time":"2026-07-15T14:42:17Z","timestamp":1784126537579,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,13]],"date-time":"2020-10-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1602547200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infections and resulting diseases are a worldwide threat to pig production. PCV2 bears a uniqueness that allows for us to understand more about chronic infections and the immune system in general. The virus can be phylogenetically subdivided into PCV2a to PCV2h genotypes. Although vaccination against PCV2 has been seen to prevent the manifestation of PCV disease, PCV2 still lingers as subclinical infections in all developmental stages of pigs. The \u201cslow and low\u201d tactic gives PCV2 a particular advantage in a host\u2019s immune surveillance. Since the inception of the PCV2 associated panzootic, research scientists have been trying to understand the pathogenicity of PCV2. Different research groups found that one genotype group member was more pathogenic than others. We found, in our weaner infection model with in vivo transfection of different recombinant PCV2 genotype group members that these viruses alter T cell maturation in the thymus, including host\u2019s central tolerance. Here, we extend these original observations by showing that PCV2 infected cells were also found in proximity within the female and male reproductive organs of stillborn pig fetuses. These PCV2 pools were sufficient in infecting three and half-day-old embryos in sows. Furthermore, the dominant PCV2 group member was more pathogenic in our weaner infection model. PCV2 pre-immunocompetence infection makes PCV2 recognized by central immune tolerance as belonging to the host. This also explains why pathogenicity is not a genetically intrinsic characteristic of PCV2; however, the dominance of any one PCV2 genotype group member leads to a more efficient deletion of the T cells against that specific genotype group member in the thymus.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens9100839","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,13]],"date-time":"2020-10-13T22:02:02Z","timestamp":1602626522000},"page":"839","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Porcine Circovirus Type 2 Pathogenicity Alters Host\u2019s Central Tolerance for Propagation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Xaver","family":"Sidler","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Farm Animals, Division of Swine Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Titus","family":"Sydler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jos\u00e9 Maria","family":"Mateos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Microscopy and Image Analysis, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stefanie","family":"Klausmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Farm Animals, Division of Swine Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland"},{"name":"Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Enrico","family":"Brugnera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Farm Animals, Division of Swine Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland"},{"name":"Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1674","DOI":"10.1128\/JVI.02109-09","article-title":"Multiple diverse circoviruses infect farm animals and are commonly found in human and chimpanzee feces","volume":"84","author":"Li","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. 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