Calves are susceptible to infection with the newly emerged porcine deltacoronavirus, but not with the swine enteric alphacoronavirus, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus

Jung, Kwonil; Hu, Hui; Saif, Linda J.

Fecal virus shedding, seroconversion and histopathology were evaluated in 3-7-year-old gnotobiotic calves orally inoculated with porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) (9.0-9.6 log(10) genomic equivalents [GE] of OH-FD22-P5; n=4) or porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) (10.2-12.5 log(10) GE of PC21A; n=3). In PDCoV-inoculated calves, an acute but persisting fecal viral RNA shedding and PDCoV-specific serum IgG antibody responses were observed, but without lesions or clinical disease. However, no fecal shedding, seroconversion, histological lesions, and clinical disease were detected in PEDV-inoculated calves. Our data indicate that calves are susceptible to infection by the newly emerged PDCoV, but not by the swine coronavirus, PEDV.