Porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV)

Porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) refers to retroviral sequences of the gammaretrovirus genus that are naturally integrated into the genome of pigs as part of their DNA. PERVs are present in all pigs and exist mainly in a non-infectious, genomic (provirus) form, but some variants (notably PERV-A and PERV-B, and certain recombinants involving PERV-C) can produce infectious viruses capable of infecting human cells in vitro. Their presence raises safety concerns for xenotransplantation, as there is theoretical risk that PERV could transmit from pig tissue to human recipients and potentially cause zoonotic infection, although no clinical human infection has been documented. Research efforts include inactivation of PERV by genome editing (e.g., CRISPR-Cas9), RNA interference, and breeding strategies to minimize risk[1][2][3][4][5].

Other names

PERVPorcine endogenous retrovirusesEndogenous retrovirus sequences in pigPERV-APERV-BPERV-C