A potential endemic strain in China: NADC34‑like porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes an economically important disease affecting commercial pork production worldwide. NADC34-like PRRSV has had a strong impact on the U.S. and Peruvian pig industries in recent years and also emerged in northeastern China in 2017. However, the endemic status of NADC34-like PRRSV in China is unclear. In this study, we examined 650 tissue samples collected from 16 Provinces in China from 2018 to 2019. Six NADC34-like PRRSV strains were detected in samples from three Provinces, and the complete genomes of four of these strains were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these novel PRRSV strains belong to sublineage 1.5 (or NADC34-like PRRSV), forming two groups in China. Sequence alignment suggested that these novel strains share the same 100-aa deletion in the Nsp2 protein that was identified in IA/2014/NADC34 isolated from the United States in 2014. Recombination analysis revealed that five of eight complete genome sequences are derived from recombination between IA/2014/NADC34 and ISU30 or NADC30. The number and distribution of NADC34-like PRRSVs is increasing in China. Importantly, compared with the currently endemic strain NADC30-like PRRSV, NADC34-like PRRSV has the potential to be an endemic strain in China. This study will help us understand the epidemic status of NADC34-like PRRSV in China and provide data for further monitoring this type of PRRSV in China.