Porcine circovirus diseases: 1996-2004 and beyond!

Porcine circovirus disease (PCVD) has emerged in the last 8 years as one of the most important and devastating disease syndromes of the global pig industry. In May 1996, a presentation at the spring meeting of the PVS on porcine circovirus: epidemiology and pathogenesis concluded that "it is possible that PCV does not have a significant pathogenic role; however, it is important that more research is carried out before infection of pigs with PCV can be considered an insignificant animal health risk." This current article will briefly review the progress in PCV research since 1996 and highlight ongoing attempts to understand the true pathogenesis of this virus.