Porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) is a highly contagious and devastating enteric disease of pigs caused by porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV), an enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Alphacoronavirus genus of the Coronaviridae family. The disease is clinically similar to other forms of porcine gastroenteritis. Pigs are the only known host of the disease, and the occurrence of PED in wild boars is unknown. The virus causes acute diarrhoea, vomiting, dehydration, and high mortality in suckling piglets reaching 100%. Heavy economic losses in the pig-farming industry were sustained in the USA between 2013 and 2015 when PEDV spread very quickly and resulted in epidemics. The loss in the US pig industry has been estimated at almost seven million pigs. The purpose of this review is a description of the current status of porcine epidemic diarrhoea in European pigs and the risk presented by the introduction of PEDV to Poland in comparison to the epidemics in the USA.

Introduction: The extremely high genetic variation and the continuously emerging variants of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) of Southern African Territory (SAT) serotypes including SAT1, SAT2, and SAT3 make it necessary to develop a new RT-PCR for general use for monitoring viruses based on the updated genome information. Material and Methods: A FMDV SAT-D8 one-step RT-PCR was established based on the 1D2A2B genes of the SAT serotype viruses with a multiplex primer set. FMDV A, O, C, and Asia 1 serotypes, other vesicular disease viruses, inactivated SAT viruses, and 125 bovine, ovine, caprine and porcine tissue samples collected from the Chinese mainland were included for evaluating the assay. Results: The new RT-PCR was proven to be specific without cross-reactions with Eurasian FMDV, swine vesicular disease virus (SVDV), Seneca valley virus (SVV), or other common viral pathogens of cattle, sheep, goat, and pig. An around 257 bp-sized amplicon clearly appeared when the inactivated SAT viruses were detected. However, all 125 samples collected from FMDV-susceptible animals from the Chinese mainland which has not known SAT epidemics showed negative results. Conclusions: A FMDV SAT-D8 one-step RT-PCR is a promising method for primary screening for FMDV SAT serotypes.

Introduction: A novel to Europe Schmallenberg virus (SBV) causes clinical disease manifested by reproduction disorders in farm ruminants. In free-living ruminants, SBV antibodies as well as the virus were detected. Recent studies also revealed SBV antibodies in wild boars. The study investigates SBV antibodies occurring in wild boars in Poland at the peak of recent virus epidemics in the country.Material and Methods: Samples collected from 203 wild boars culled during the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 hunting season were serologically tested using multi-species cELISA. Attempted neutralisation tests failed due to poor serum quality. RT-PCR was implemented in seropositive and doubtful animals.Results: Two samples collected from wild boar in the winter of 2013 gave a positive result in ELISA, while another two from the 2012/2013 hunting season were doubtful. No SBV RNA was detected in spleen and liver tissues.Conclusion: Low SBV seroprevalence in wild boars, despite high incidence of SBV infections occurring simultaneously in wild ruminants, suggests that boars are unlikely to be a significant reservoir of the virus in the sylvatic environment in Poland.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly infectious viral disease affecting all cloven-footed domestic animals. The three foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotypes A, O and SAT2 are at present the greatest threat to susceptible animals in Egypt. The aim of the present study was, for the host factors associated with different FMDV infections in cattle during the acute phase, to compare these factors’ influence on the expression of the IL-10, TLR-2, TNF-α, CXCL10, CD48, NFATC4 and IFNG inflammatory and immune-related genes. Vesicular fluid and epithelium samples were obtained from at least three infected cattle on the same affected farm during three different FMDV outbreaks and were used for serotyping of the virus and for expression analysis of host genes. A two-step RT-PCR was used for diagnosis of the virus with primers specific for each serotype. In quantitative PCR analysis, the expression patterns of TLR-2 and IFNG were prominent, while NFATC4 expression was absent in all FMDV-infected cattle. The highest expression of CD48 was associated with increased expression of other inflammatory and immune-related genes (IL-10, TLR-2, TNF-α and IFNG), which may be an indication of rapid virus clearance. The use of vesicular fluid and epithelium for investigation of viral and immune-related gene expression levels in acute FMDV infection is possible. Host-dependent variation in the expression of the studied genes was observed in different FMDV serotype outbreaks.

Practicing veterinarians play an important role in detecting the initial outbreak of disease in animal populations. A pilot study was conducted to determine the feasibility of a veterinary-based surveillance system for the Ontario swine industry. A total of 7 practitioners from 5 clinics agreed to submit information from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008. The surveillance program was evaluated in terms of timeliness, compliance, geographic coverage, and data quality. Our study showed that the veterinary-based surveillance system was acceptable to practitioners and produced useful data. The program obtained information from 25% of pig farms in Ontario during this time period. However, better communication with practitioners, more user-friendly recording systems that can be adapted to each clinic’s management system, active involvement of the clinics’ technical personnel, and the use of financial incentives may help to improve compliance and timeliness.

Pasteurella multocida isolated from turkeys during an outbreak of fowl cholera was characterized by serotype and heterogeneity of genes encoding rRNA (ribotype) to investigate the epidemiology of the organism. Isolates were collected between October 1985 and July 1986. The M9 or Clemson University fowl cholera vaccine-like strain was detected in 17% of the flocks with fowl cholera. One particular strain, isolated only from breeder flocks, was recovered from 7 of the 10 breeder flocks examined in this study. Intracompany transmission appeared to be common, implying a failure in biosecurity. Circumstantial evidence indicated that in the field, the incubation period of P multocida in a turkey flock may be between 2 to 7 weeks. Wildlife did not appear to be an important reservoir of P multocida for turkeys during this study period. Ribotyping results tended to discount several of the possible interflock transmissions, as suggested by examination of serotyping results alone; however, serotyping in combination with ribotyping proved helpful in understanding the epidemiology of P multocida in turkeys.

OBJECTIVE To measure incidence and estimate temporal and spatial dynamics of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection in US sow herds. ANIMALS 371 sow herds in the United States from 14 production companies. PROCEDURES The exponentially weighted moving average was used to monitor incident PRRSV infections for onset of an epidemic. The spatial scan statistic was used to identify areas at significantly high risk of PRRS epidemics. A χ2 test was used to estimate whether there were significant differences in the quarterly and annual PRRS incidence among time periods, and a bivariable logistic regression model was used to estimate whether PRRSV infection during a given year increased the odds of that herd being infected in the following year. RESULTS During the 4-year period of this study, 29% (91/319; 2009 to 2010), 33% (106/325; 2010 to 2011), 38% (135/355; 2011 to 2012), and 32% (117/371; 2012 to 2013) of the herds reported new infections. Weekly incidence was low during spring and summer and high during fall and winter. The exponentially weighted moving average signaled the onset of a PRRSV epidemic during the middle 2 weeks of October each year. Disease incidence was spatially clustered. Infection in the previous year increased the odds of infection in 2010 to 2011 and 2011 to 2012. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated a striking repeatability in annual PRRSV temporal and spatial patterns across 4 years of data among herds from 14 production companies, which suggested that efforts to control PRRSV at a regional level should continue to be supported.

Objective--To assess the impacts of the introduction of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and various FMD control programs in southern Thailand. Animals--A native population of 562,910 cattle and 33,088 buffalo as well as 89,294 animals legally transported into southern Thailand. Procedures--A quantitative risk assessment was used to ascertain the probability of FMD introduction, and an intrinsic dynamic model was used to assess impacts. Value for the transmission rate (β) was estimated. Five scenarios created to assess the impacts of nonstructural protein (NSP) testing, mass vaccination, and culling were examined. Impacts were assessed through an examination of the estimated annual cumulative incidence (ACI) of FMD. The ACIs of various scenarios were compared by use of the Tukey Studentized range technique. Results--β was estimated at 0.115. Approximately 35,000 cases of FMD would be expected from the baseline situation. A 30% reduction of ACI was detected with the introduction of NSP antibody testing. Prophylactic vaccination resulted in an 85% reduction of ACI. Concurrent use of NSP antibody testing and vaccination reduced the ACI by 96%, and the addition of an eradication policy resulted in a slightly greater decrease in the ACI (98%). Conclusions and Clinical Relevance--The study used epidemiologic models to investigate FMD control interventions. Results suggested that vaccination has more impact than the use of NSP testing. Use of the NSP test reduced ACI during peak seasons, whereas vaccination diminished the underlying incidence. The best mitigation plan was an integrated and strategic use of multiple control techniques.

Objective-To assess estimated effectiveness of control and eradication procedures for foot-andmouth disease (FMD) in a region of California. Sample Population-2,238 herds and 5 sale yards in Fresno, Kings, and Tulare counties of California. Procedure-A spatial stochastic model was used to simulate hypothetical epidemics of FMD for specified control scenarios that included a baseline eradication strategy mandated by USDA and supplemental control strategies of slaughter or vaccination of all animals within a specified distance of infected herds, slaughter of only high-risk animals identified by use of a model simulation, and expansion of infected and surveillance zones. Results-Median number of herds affected varied from 1 to 385 (17% of all herds), depending on type of index herd and delay in diagnosis of FMD. Percentage of herds infected decreased from that of the baseline eradication strategy by expanding the designated infected area from 10 to 20 km (48%), vaccinating within a 50-km radius of an infected herd (41%), slaughtering the 10 highest-risk herds for each infected herd (39%), and slaughtering all animals within 5 km of an infected herd (24%). Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Results for the model provided a means of assessing the relative merits of potential strategies for control and eradication of FMD should it enter the US livestock population. For the study region, preemptive slaughter of highest-risk herds and vaccination of all animals within a specified distance of an infected herd consistently decreased size and duration of an epidemic, compared with the baseline eradication strategy.

The role of silage feeding in the origin of an epizootic of encephalitic listeriosis in a sheep flock was investigated by use of a new direct Listeria-selective isolation and enumeration medium, in combination with serotyping and phage typing. The silage contained high numbers (about 10(6) cells/g) of a L monocytogenes strain indistinguishable with respect to serovar and phagovar from that isolated from the brains of sick sheep. These results provided unambiguous bacteriologic evidence of the epidemiologic link between silage consumption and listeriosis in ruminants.