Oral treatment of transmissible gastroenteritis with natural human interferon alpha: A field study

Cummins, Joseph M.; Mock, Richard E.; Shive, Bradford W.; Krakowka, Steven; Richards, Alan B.; Hutcheson, David P.

Abstract During a natural outbreak of transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE), groups of piglets were treated orally for 4 consecutive days with placebo or 1.0, 10.0 or 20.0 international units (IU) natural human interferon alpha (nHuIFNα). Piglets that were 1–12 days of age and given 1.0, 10.0 or 20.0 IU nHuIFNα had significantly (P < 0.01) greater survival rates than placebo-treated piglets; survival rates were the greater for the highest level of nHuIFNα treatment. In contrast, beneficial effects of nHuIFNα were not observed in piglets farrowed during the disease outbreak and given nHuIFNα within hours of birth. Oral nHuIFNα therapy modulates the natural course of high morbidity and mortality commonly seen with TGE.