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 This is only the second time the virus has been
reported and the first time it has been seen in the United States,
said Yan Zhang, a scientist in the department's Animal Disease
Diagnostic Laboratory.
The pigs that contracted the new virus, called Swine
DeltaCoronavirus (SDCV), suffered from diarrhea, which is also a
symptom of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) and transmissible
gastroenteritis (TGE). But state officials said the new virus is
different.
Like PEDv, the virus affects piglets and older pigs, and the
clinical signs are very similar to PEDv; but the mortality rate
appears to be lower, Zhang said.
However, vaccines used against PEDv and TGE will not likely
cross-protect hog herds against the new virus, Zhang said. But he
said this is not yet known for sure.
Of the four Ohio farms where the virus was discovered, one tested
positive for Swine DeltaCoronavirus but negative for PEDv and TGE.
The other three farms tested positive for both PEDv and Swine
DeltaCoronavirus.
"This virus is closely related to a coronavirus detected in Hong
Kong in 2012," the Ohio Department of Agriculture said.
The discovery of the new virus strain comes as the U.S. pork
industry is battling the spread of PEDv, which has killed an
estimated 4 million pigs across 23 states since it was first
discovered in the United States last April.
"The value of this finding is that it provides a new diagnostic tool
for producers that have piglets with signs of PEDv but test PEDv-negative.
There is now another test that can be run to determine if that virus
is present," said Beverly Byrum, director of laboratories for the
department.
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Like PEDv, the Swine DeltaCoronavirus is labeled a transboundary
disease by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, so it is not required
to be reported, said Tom Burkgren, executive director at the
American Association of Swine Veterinarians.
"The discovery creates a whole new line of research to be done. It
also raises questions about how did it get into the United States,
as it has not been seen here before," Burkgren said.
A second strain of PEDv was identified last week by researchers at
Iowa State University.
The virus cannot spread to humans or other species and poses no risk
to food safety, the Ohio Department of Agriculture said. The agency
said further research needs to be conducted to determine whether or
not the virus is the cause of diarrheal disease in affected pigs.
(Reporting by Meredith Davis; editing by
Jonathan Oatis)
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