PEDv Update: CFIA Cannot Confirm Infection Via Feed

photo courtesy of ebeyfarm.blogspot.com

Although porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) DNA was found in pig feed common to the majority of infected farms that had been found by early February in Ontario, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) cannot confirm the feed is the vector by which the disease entered these farms. The feed manufacturer in question, Grand Valley Fortifiers, voluntarily recalled the piglet feed in quesiton

Read more: The limited role of a vaccine in PEDv prevention

In late February, CFIA released a statement saying that the feed was found to contain the PEDv DNA and could cause infection, and that further study was required to confirm the viability of the virus. CFIA’s latest statement now claims that while PEDv DNA was found in feed, the virus DNA was not capable of causing sickness in animals.

According to the CFIA’s latest release:

The study demonstrated that the porcine blood plasma in question contained PED virus capable of causing disease in pigs. However, the study could not demonstrate that the feed pellets containing the blood plasma were capable of causing disease.

…The feed investigation was triggered on February 9, after Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) testing found that US-origin porcine blood plasma used in feed pellets produced by Grand Valley Fortifiers contained PED virus genetic material. As a precautionary measure, Grand Valley Fortifiers voluntarily withdrew the potentially affected feed pellets from the marketplace.

Samples of both the feed pellets and the porcine blood plasma ingredient were submitted to the CFIA‘s National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease (NCFAD) for further testing. It was confirmed that both the blood plasma and the feed pellets contained PED virus genetic material; however, the bioassay study was required to confirm if this genetic material could cause illness in pigs.

 

The virus has now been confirmed in Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec and PEI, though all but Ontario have only one confirmed infected farm. For an updated list of confirmed infections (by area) in Ontario, click here.

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