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 A third strain of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus, or PEDv, was
detected in a Minnesota hog herd and found to be at least as
virulent as an original strain that emerged in the United States in
early 2013, said Douglas Marthaler, assistant professor of
veterinary population medicine at the University of Minnesota, on
Monday.
Marthaler, who reported on the strain last month in a journal from
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, believes the
strain is a mutation of the original. A second, less-virulent strain
had previously been identified.
The original strain may have mutated in response to increased
immunity in herds, Marthaler said. It is also the nature of viruses
like PEDv to evolve as they replicate.
"The virus is always changing," Marthaler said.
PEDv has killed at least 8 million pigs, roughly 10 percent of the
U.S. hog population, in the past two years. The pork supply
reduction was largely responsible for pushing prices to record
highs. It is unknown how the virus, which causes extreme diarrhea in
piglets, came to the United States. It was previously found in parts
of Asia and Europe.
The impact on hog production from the emergence of the new strain,
which was first identified last year, is unclear. It could have
existed in the United States without being detected since early 2013
or could be a new mutation, experts said. It is unknown whether the
third strain even exists outside of the Minnesota herd in which it
was found, Marthaler said.
Hog producers need to take the same precautions to prevent the new
strain from spreading as they did for the previous two strains,
including washing trucks and other equipment.
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Researchers previously determined that PEDv can spread from pig to
pig by contact with manure, which contains the virus. It can also be
spread from farm to farm on trucks.
"Whether or not exposure to one of the earlier strains provides
protection against this strain, I don't think anybody knows the
answer to that question," said Harry Snelson, a veterinarian who
represents the American Association of Swine Veterinarians.
PEDv is not a threat to humans or food safety, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
(Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by David Gregorio)
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