Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) Disease epidemic in Montana.
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea is a viral swine disease caused by a coronavirus which affects the lining cells of the intestines causing severe diarrhea and dehydration in affected animals (Changhee et al.’s 2015), older hogs infected with the virus lose weight while newborns die within five days. Although this disease cannot be transmitted to human beings and does not contaminate food supply, it has a great economic effect on agriculture mainly felt through the high prices of pork products, only year since the disease was first identified in the US the disease has spread to over 25 states with over 25000 positive cases reported. In this paper, I have discussed the causal organism, the animals affected, diagnostic tests, and its treatments and containments procedures.
A field study was carried out on a Montana farm where it was observed that a number of pigs were wasted and none of their suckling piglets had grown to maturity they had been attacked by a new disease. This disease affected pigs only, it has a mortality rate of up to 100 percent for suckling piglets, emaciates old pigs reducing their pork products quality while the disease is immune-compromising which increase cost of management.
Our team collected blood, immune system fluids and gastrointestinal tissues samples from dead pigs for laboratory analysis, the tissues were tested for various microbial growth were a rapid viral growth was identified in lining cells of the small intestines. On culturing, all samples tested positive for a PEDV virus as observed under a microscope. The PEDV virus was first discovered in Europe in the year 1971 (Hofmann et al.’s 1988) but has since then spread to Asia and North America and has also mutated to a new mutant strain of PEDV virus with three variations. This virus is very infectious and no treatment has been discovered yet, it attack pigs causing significant mortality and morbidity. Diagnosis of PEDV disease include general physical examination and Laboratory analysis, its symptoms are closely related to bovine coronavirus disease which is characterized by severe diarrhea and dehydration for newborns. Purification of the pathogen in the laboratory shows a crown shaped projections appearance, characteristic for coronaviruses. General body examination for weight depreciation, vomiting or diarrhea is the key diagnostic sign for PEDV disease while laboratory analysis is the confirmatory tests. Blood samples show a very low level of lymphocytes in the dead piglets while mature pigs blood samples had PEDV antibodies. The disease is transmitted from one animal to another through animal’s fecal matter to pig’s feeds (fecal-oral transmissions) in lowly sanitized conditions. The rapid spread of the disease has been attributed to the animal, people and equipment movements from affected areas, lack of vaccinations and poor sanitation (Trujillo-Ortega et al.’s 2016). Movement of people and farm equipment from affected areas to the Montana farm is the most likely etiological explanation. Lack of designated parking areas for farm visitors, no thorough cleaning, and unknown status of newly arrived animals are the major risk factors of PEDV disease. The first PEDV case was recorded in Europe in the year 1971 but only became problematic in Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, Philippines, Thailand, and China in the late 1980s where massive swine deaths were recorded (Hofmann et al.’s 1988). …show more content…
In the US the disease was recorded first on 5th May 2013 in Indiana and later similar cases appeared in Canada before in the year 2014, since then the disease has spread to over 25 states. On 5th of January 2014, the Ohio animal diagnostic laboratory discovered a mutant Strain of PEDV with few deletions, insertions and mutations variations (Huang et al.’s 2015). Since the disease was recorded in the US it has caused over one million piglets’ deaths. The epidemic has hit Montana causing great losses to the farmers, on an average, less than five percent of all piglets have grown to maturity in the farms the disease has been recorded. In a period of fewer than five months, Montana farms have lost over 3,000 piglets and 500 mature pigs which have translated to loss of over $ 16 million in one year (Hofmann et al.’s 2013). U.S is the world’s largest
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea is a viral swine disease caused by a coronavirus which affects the lining cells of the intestines causing severe diarrhea and dehydration in affected animals (Changhee et al.’s 2015), older hogs infected with the virus lose weight while newborns die within five days. Although this disease cannot be transmitted to human beings and does not contaminate food supply, it has a great economic effect on agriculture mainly felt through the high prices of pork products, only year since the disease was first identified in the US the disease has spread to over 25 states with over 25000 positive cases reported. In this paper, I have discussed the causal organism, the animals affected, diagnostic tests, and its treatments and containments procedures.
A field study was carried out on a Montana farm where it was observed that a number of pigs were wasted and none of their suckling piglets had grown to maturity they had been attacked by a new disease. This disease affected pigs only, it has a mortality rate of up to 100 percent for suckling piglets, emaciates old pigs reducing their pork products quality while the disease is immune-compromising which increase cost of management.
Our team collected blood, immune system fluids and gastrointestinal tissues samples from dead pigs for laboratory analysis, the tissues were tested for various microbial growth were a rapid viral growth was identified in lining cells of the small intestines. On culturing, all samples tested positive for a PEDV virus as observed under a microscope. The PEDV virus was first discovered in Europe in the year 1971 (Hofmann et al.’s 1988) but has since then spread to Asia and North America and has also mutated to a new mutant strain of PEDV virus with three variations. This virus is very infectious and no treatment has been discovered yet, it attack pigs causing significant mortality and morbidity. Diagnosis of PEDV disease include general physical examination and Laboratory analysis, its symptoms are closely related to bovine coronavirus disease which is characterized by severe diarrhea and dehydration for newborns. Purification of the pathogen in the laboratory shows a crown shaped projections appearance, characteristic for coronaviruses. General body examination for weight depreciation, vomiting or diarrhea is the key diagnostic sign for PEDV disease while laboratory analysis is the confirmatory tests. Blood samples show a very low level of lymphocytes in the dead piglets while mature pigs blood samples had PEDV antibodies. The disease is transmitted from one animal to another through animal’s fecal matter to pig’s feeds (fecal-oral transmissions) in lowly sanitized conditions. The rapid spread of the disease has been attributed to the animal, people and equipment movements from affected areas, lack of vaccinations and poor sanitation (Trujillo-Ortega et al.’s 2016). Movement of people and farm equipment from affected areas to the Montana farm is the most likely etiological explanation. Lack of designated parking areas for farm visitors, no thorough cleaning, and unknown status of newly arrived animals are the major risk factors of PEDV disease. The first PEDV case was recorded in Europe in the year 1971 but only became problematic in Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, Philippines, Thailand, and China in the late 1980s where massive swine deaths were recorded (Hofmann et al.’s 1988). …show more content…
In the US the disease was recorded first on 5th May 2013 in Indiana and later similar cases appeared in Canada before in the year 2014, since then the disease has spread to over 25 states. On 5th of January 2014, the Ohio animal diagnostic laboratory discovered a mutant Strain of PEDV with few deletions, insertions and mutations variations (Huang et al.’s 2015). Since the disease was recorded in the US it has caused over one million piglets’ deaths. The epidemic has hit Montana causing great losses to the farmers, on an average, less than five percent of all piglets have grown to maturity in the farms the disease has been recorded. In a period of fewer than five months, Montana farms have lost over 3,000 piglets and 500 mature pigs which have translated to loss of over $ 16 million in one year (Hofmann et al.’s 2013). U.S is the world’s largest