Feed or feed transport as a potential route for a porcine epidemic diarrhoea outbreak in a 10,000-sow breeding herd in Mexico.

Abstract

Porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) infects pigs of all ages causing vomiting and diarrhoea. PEDV is transmitted via the oral-faecal route, and a very low dose is enough to infect susceptible pigs, resulting in significant production losses. This short communication aims to describe the introduction of PEDV into a 10,000-sow farrow-to-wean farm located in northwest Mexico. Following the onset of clinical signs, an outbreak investigation was conducted to determine the most probable route of introduction. Based on data collected from interviews, construction of a timeline of events, and the detection of PEDV RNA in feed samples and samples collected from various surfaces of feed transport vehicles, it was concluded that the most probable route for PEDV incursion into this breeding herd was contaminated feed or a contaminated feed transport vehicle. This paper describes how feed or feed transport could serve as potential routes of PEDV infection to a farm and highlights the importance of establishing biosecurity programs to mitigate these risks.