Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) is a coronavirus that causes porcine epidemic diarrhea, primarily affecting pigs of all ages, especially piglets.

Clinical signs and symptoms

Piglet symptoms:

Acute watery diarrhea: Newborn piglets develop severe watery diarrhea with grayish white or yellow stools.

Vomiting: Frequent vomiting, decreased appetite.

Dehydration: Rapid dehydration and weight loss.

High mortality: The mortality rate of newborn piglets can be as high as 50-100%, especially in unvaccinated herds.

Symptoms of fattening pigs and adult pigs:

Diarrhea: Fattening and adult pigs can also develop diarrhea, but the symptoms are milder and usually present as loose stools.

Vomiting: Occasionally vomiting.

Loss of appetite: decreased appetite, but less dehydration and death.

Recovery period:

The sick pigs gradually recover within 1-2 weeks, but production performance may be affected.

Transmission route

Direct contact:

Fecal-oral transmission: Transmission through contact with the feces of infected pigs is the main route of transmission. The virus can be transmitted through contaminated feed, water, environment and equipment.

Indirect contact:

Contaminated items and people: Contaminated equipment, tools, vehicles and people can introduce the virus into pig farms.

Airborne:

In closed and poorly ventilated environments, the virus may be transmitted through the air, but mainly through fecal-oral transmission.

Vertical propagation:

There is no clear evidence of vertical transmission of PEDV across the placenta, but infected sows can be transmitted to piglets through milk and the environment.

Clinical diagnosis

Clinical symptom observation:

A preliminary diagnosis can be made based on typical symptoms of acute watery diarrhea and vomiting, especially the high mortality of piglets.

Laboratory tests:

RT-PCR assay: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is a rapid and sensitive diagnostic method for detecting viral RNA in feces, intestinal contents, or intestinal tissue.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) : Detects viral antibodies in serum and is used to assess infection and immune response.

Virus isolation and identification: Virus isolation from faeces or intestinal tissue of sick pigs for further identification.

Pathological examination:

The pathological changes of intestinal mucosa, such as atrophy and shedding of intestinal villi, were observed in diseased pigs.

Prevention and control measures

Preventive measures:

Vaccination: Sows are regularly vaccinated against PEDV to increase their antibody levels, which are passed on to piglets through colostrum.

Biosecurity measures: Strict implementation of biosecurity measures, including the isolation of newly introduced pigs, disinfection of personnel and equipment, restrictions on people and vehicles entering and leaving the pig farm.

Environmental hygiene: Keep the pig house dry and clean, and regularly clean feces and dirt to reduce viral load in the environment.

Management measures:

All in all out: Adopt the feeding and management mode of all in all out to avoid mixed breeding of different batches of pigs.

Isolation and quarantine: Newly introduced pigs should be quarantined and quarantined to ensure they are free of PEDV.

Personnel training: To improve the awareness and prevention and control skills of keepers and veterinarians on PEDV.

Treatment measures:

Symptomatic treatment: Mainly for symptomatic treatment, providing enough electrolytes and water to prevent dehydration. Use appropriate antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infections.

Nutritional support: Provide digestible feed and adequate nutrition to help sick pigs recover.

Control measures:

Quarantine of sick pigs: Quickly isolate sick pigs to prevent the spread of the virus.

Disinfection and cleaning: Thoroughly clean and disinfect contaminated pig houses, equipment and the environment to cut off transmission routes.

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