By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
Ohio hog producers are now dealing with a new virus which acts very similar to the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, also known as PED.
Just like PED, the new disease cannot be spread to humans or other animals and does not pose a risk to food safety. It is a pig only illness.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) said Jan. 11, that it is notifying pork producers that a new virus has been found in several pig fecal samplings from four different pig farms in the state.
In January and early February, samples were taken from the farms in question after significant numbers of sows and piglets were experiencing diarrhea.
State officials say that the clinical signs of the new virus were similar to PED, but testing found that they were not the same. Both are caused by coronaviruses. The new virus is being classified as a Swine DeltaCoronavirus.
ODA said that further study is needed to determine whether or not the virus is the sole cause of the diarrhea outbreak.