Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 7/17/14


USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) reported that 79 tests for porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) proved positive out of 636 conducted at seven veterinary diagnostic labs in the week ended July 5, according to the American Association of Swine Veterinarians’ latest update.

By comparison, two months ago, in the week ended May 3, there were 191 tests that proved positive.

The latest data bring the number of confirmed cases to 7,603 since the virus was discovered in the United States in May 2013. Weekly case numbers, however, have been on the decline.

The number of states reporting to the NAHLN as having at least one confirmed case of PEDV remains at 30, although in the week ended July 5 hogs tested positive for PEDV in just 15 of states.

NAHLN also reported 7 positive tests for Porcine Deltacoronavirus (PDCoV), a variant strain of the virus, out of 171 tests conducted. That brings the total number of positives for PDCoV since testing began to 325 in 15 states.

There is no firm data on how many hogs have been infected, as each case reported can represent anywhere from a single animal to an entire herd at a single site.

Livestock analyst Steve Meyer, who publishes the Daily Livestock Report, estimates that PEDV test results from back in January imply that pig losses will result in a July slaughter reduction of about 8 percent. He said slaughter rates in the first two weeks of July are consistent with that forecast.

“Reductions of that size would put summer slaughter numbers well below those implied by USDA’s June Hogs and Pigs report,” he noted in the DLR earlier this week.

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