ISU Veterinary Researchers Develop New Test to Detect PEDV Antibodies

September 18, 2013 — 

Veterinary researchers at Iowa State University have developed a new test to detect antibodies against Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV), a costly disease in pigs confirmed in the United States for the first time this year.

Previously, the virus could be detected only in acute cases while it was still reproducing and infecting a host pig. In such cases, the virus could be identified through the use of a test known as a polymerase chain reaction assay. But those tests could give a false negative if the pig had stopped shedding the disease or if shedding had become intermittent.

The new test, called an immunofluorescence antibody or indirect fluorescent antibody assay and conducted using blood samples from pigs, will allow veterinarians and producers to know if a pig has ever had the disease in the past, whether it’s shedding the virus or not. It’s the first test available to the U.S. veterinary community that can detect PEDV antibodies.

The screening, available through the ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, costs $5.50 per sample and can be requested by local veterinarians. By performing the test, producers can know if an animal has been exposed to the virus in the past before they bring it onto their farms.

- See more at: http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2013/09/12/pedvscreen#sthash.uKLNnw5X.dpuf