Advances in research and application of therapeutic antibody strategies for porcine rotavirus prevention and control.

Rotavirus (RV) is one of the leading causes of acute viral gastroenteritis in young children and various neonatal animals worldwide, posing significant challenges to both public health and livestock production. Porcine rotavirus (PoRV) induces acute enteric infection in neonatal piglets, resulting in severe vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration, and is frequently associated with co-infections that disrupt gastrointestinal function and cause huge economic losses. At present, no specific antiviral therapy is available for PoRV infection, and vaccination remains the most cost-effective and widely used control measure, with piglets relying on maternally derived antibodies (MADs) for early protection. However, the complex and rapidly evolving PoRV genotypes confer limited cross-protection, and antigenic drift of circulating strains often leads to mismatch between vaccine strains and field isolates, preventing piglets from acquiring sufficient and effective maternal immunity. Therapeutic antibodies, characterized by rapid virus neutralization, target specificity, and immediate protective effects, represent a promising supplement to maternal antibodies, particularly for early intervention and blocking viral transmission. Given that oral administration mirrors the natural acquisition route of maternal antibodies and enables direct action at the intestinal mucosa, optimizing antibody engineering and targeted delivery systems is crucial for achieving effective mucosal neutralization. This review summarizes the major limitations of current PoRV immunoprophylaxis, proposes therapeutic antibody supplementation strategies, and highlights advances in antibody engineering, in vitro reconstruction, and oral delivery platforms. These insights provide a theoretical foundation and technical roadmap for overcoming PoRV immunization bottlenecks and strengthening the prevention and control of diarrheal diseases in the swine industry.