Oral Fluids and Meat Juice May Hold Answers to PEDV Herd Immunity

June 12, 2019 — 

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus has caused devastating losses at the global level. Highly transmissible and stable in the environment, PEDV has moved rapidly across pork-producing regions of the world. The exception to the rule, Canada has been effective in their efforts at slowing the spread of PEDV and their attempts at eradication may ultimately succeed. The Canadian effort is based on extensive PEDV real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction testing of animals, farms, and the production chain, i.e., livestock assembly yards, abattoirs, truck wash stations and livestock trailers. [Source: National Hog Farmer 4 June 2019]

If control and elimination is successful, other regions may choose to follow suit. However, PEDV will not be eradicated from the United States any time soon and will continue to circulate widely in swine populations in much of the world as far as we can see into the future. Thus, inexpensive-yet-effective surveillance methods are needed at the farm and regional levels to track PEDV for what is likely to be a long-term effort at prevention, control and possibly eradication.

To read the full article and view figures, visit National Hog Farmer.