IMPROVED METHODS TO CONTROL PORCINE EPIDEMIC DIARRHEA VIRUS.

A university of Nebraska–Lincoln research by Amy Millmier Schmidt, assistant professor and livestock bioenvironmental engineer in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering., is giving swine producers and veterinarians potential methods to manage and prevent the spread of PEDv. PEDv is spread among pigs through the fecal to oral route. It causes severe diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration, typically less than one day following exposure. While older pigs will experience performance losses once infected with PEDv, the virus carries a nearly 100 percent mortality rate in pre-weaned piglets. The virus is highly virulent, which makes controlling its spread within and among swine operations particularly challenging. The PEDv has a similar effect on older pigs as the stomach flu does on humans; the signs include decrease feed intake, loss of weight and are non productivity. The loss of productivity results in an economic loss for the industry because it takes longer for the animals to reach market weight. The control methods are as follows: 1)Carcass removal One area the group has been investigating is composting carcasses testing positive for PEDv. Burial is common practice with PEDv mortalities, which may be problematic because the virus thrives in cool, moist conditions. To ascertain whether composting could eliminate the infectious virus, the researchers constructed three compost bins in which PEDv-positive pigs were composted in biosecure rooms on UNL’s East Campus. Sensors were placed inside the compost piles to monitor temperature and organic matter, and water was added to the bins, as needed, throughout two composting cycles. Testing of the compost material at the conclusion of the cycles found no evidence of PEDv. Properly handling and disposing of mortalities is a crucial step in reducing the risk of virus transmission. The team believe that composting is an effective method to dispose of on-farm mortalities and this will help limit the spread of PEDv when the piles are constructed and managed properly to achieve internal pile temperatures of 120 to 130 degrees F. 2) Changing pH levels in manure Schmidt and her colleagues also looked at adding lime to manure containing the PED virus to determine if a significant pH change in the manure would eliminate the infectious virus. Results revealed that treating manure with lime to raise the manure pH to 10 for at least one hour will eliminate infectious virus in the manure, though Schmidt suspects that a lower pH may be equally effective. Testing during the past several months has revealed that this virus is extremely sensitive to pH, and researchers suspect that it may not be necessary to raise the manure pH all the way to 10 to inactivate the virus. However, they won’t be able to confirm this until additional experiments are completed. 3) Farm bio security The team's current focus is on demonstrating and promoting disease control and prevention measures on-farm and working with pork producers to create a culture of vigilant preparedness and prevention to minimize impacts of future disease outbreaks. All business decisions come down to economics so the team wants to demonstrate that the cost of investing in on-farm bio security practices is far less than the costs associated with lost productivity, decontamination, and remediation of a farm following a disease outbreak. source wattagnet.