Figure 5
Oral administration of TG suppresses TGEV infection in neonatal piglets. A Neonatal piglets (n = 3) were orally challenged with TGEV at a dose of 3 × 107 TCID50 per piglet. They were then orally administered TG at a dosage of 2 μg/kg at 1 and 12 hpi. Anal swabs were collected at 0, 12, and 24 hpi to assess TGEV shedding. B TGEV shedding at 12 and 24 hpi was tested using RT-qPCR. C–E At 24 hpi, the piglets were sacrificed, and TGEV viral loads in intestinal tissue were assessed using RT-qPCR. F TGEV-infected cells in the small intestines of piglets were detected through IFA (scale bar = 50 μm). G Haematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining was performed to assess the effect of TG intervention on the intestines of TGEV-infected piglets (scale bar = 200 μm). H–J Double-blinded histological analysis was performed to evaluate the villus height/crypt depth ratio as a measure of TGEV-induced pathological injury of the small intestine. P values < 0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance and are indicated as * p < 0.05 and *** p < 0.001.