Special Report

ISU develops PEDV test

The veterinary lab that discovered the first U.S. cases of PEDV (Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus) in early May of this year has developed a new test to detect the virus in pigs.  The test, developed by veterinary researchers at Iowa State University, detects antibodies against the disease, according to Pork Network. The only other available test could only be used in acute cases where the virus was still reproducing and infecting a host pig – and would often produce false positive results.

National Pork Producers President Karen Richter, a hog producer in Minnesota, has told Brownfield it is very important to get a grip on this disease, “If you’re a herd that does contract it and you’ve got the young piglets it’s pretty much at least a 50% if not a 100% death loss/mortality rate for pigs under three weeks of age.”

The new blood test will show whether a pig has had PEDV before and whether the virus is active in its system.  The ISU lab has helped confirm cases of PEDV in 17 states.