Construction and characterization of an infectious replication competent clone of porcine endogenous retrovirus from Chinese miniature pigs.

Background: Xenotransplantation from animals has been considered to be a preferable approach to alleviate the shortage of human allografts. Pigs are the most suitable candidate because of the anatomical and physiological similarities shared with humans as well as ethical concerns. However, it may be associated with the risk of transmission of infectious porcine pathogens.