A Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Outbreak in One Geographic Region of the United States: Descriptive Epidemiology and Investigation of the Possibility of Airborne Virus Spread

Beam, Andrea; Goede, Dane; Fox, Andrew; McCool, Mary Jane; Wall, Goldlin; Haley, Charles; Morrison, Robert

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) is an enveloped positive polar single-stranded RNA group 1 coronavirus most closely related to human coronavirus (HCoV)-229E and transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) of swine [4] . PEDv is highly contagious, with an incubation period of three to four days [5] . Fecal-oral transmission is believed to be the main mode of transmission. Clinical signs of PEDv may vary widely and are dependent on age of pig, previous exposure, and the immunological status of the farm. The clinical presentation of PEDv may be indistinguishable from that of TGEV. The primary clinical finding is watery feces, which may be flocculent and fetid, lasting 3 to 4 days in all ages of swine. Swine might vomit. Dehydration and metabolic acidosis may be secondary signs. PEDv may spread more slowly than TGEV. If swine recover, it is usually after 7 to 10 days [6] . Morbidity can approach 100 percent in all ages of susceptible swine [6] . In suckling pigs, mortality commonly reaches 50 to 80 percent, but declines to 1 to 3 percent in grower pigs [6] .