Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus likely entered the United
States via feed, says the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The virus devastated the U.S. pork industry, wiping out
about eight per cent of the hog population. It was the most deadly to newborn
piglets, usually killing all of them in farrowing barns.
It also came to Ontario and it was also feed that was the
culprit, although this time blood plasma from the United States used in
infant-pig formulas.
The USDA believes it was sacks, called totes, that carried
feed that were infected and responsible for introducing the virus. The report
does not say where the virus originated.
The
tote bags were frequently reused prior to the 2013 epidemic and unlikely to
have been disinfected in a way that would have eliminated viruses, USDA’s
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said in its report.
The
agency examined several possible scenarios for how the virus entered the United
States, including via pet treats or organic soybeans, but concluded the
shipping sacks were the most likely culprit.
