Atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV) is a recently identified RNA virus within the Flaviviridae
family, causing congenital tremor (CT) in the piglets of infected sows. We have investigated
25 cases of CT from 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2016-2018, originating from six different
farms. RT-PCR has been performed on these samples and all of the affected piglets
were positive to APPV. Our phylogenetic analysis showed that Hungarian strains show
a high degree of variability and are clustered into five distinct lineages. Four strains
originating from one farm have shown exceptional similarity (99.9%) to an Austrian
sequence, whereas another one from a different herd was grouped close to a Chinese
strain (96.4% similarity). Our results suggest multiple events of introduction of
the virus from various sources into Hungary. This is the first report of the presence
and clinical relevance of APPV in the Hungarian pig population.
