Enteric pathological changes in rotavirus infected piglets

The present work was done during 2007–2009 to study the pathological changes in the small intestine of 18 piglets infected with group A rotavirus that were confirmed by real-time PCR. Grossly, loss of condition with watery and white coloured diarrhoeic feces was marked. The major microscopical lesions observed were enteritis accompanied by atrophy of villus epithelial cells with moderate to severe reduction of villus length with drastic loss of microvilli. Lesions were most prominent at the tips of villi included swelling and vacuolation of epithelial cells, necrosis, villus atrophy and blunting. The most marked lesions were generally observed in the caudal two-thirds of the small intestine.