It was reported this week that the first ever PED-positive sample in Saskatchewan was detected towards the end of January. The positive sample came from manure at the unloading chute that was spilled from the delivery trucks; trucks came from out-of-province. The same sample was also positive for TGE. All samples collected at this site since then have been negative for PED and TGE.
There continues to be “suspect” or low positive (high CT) SDCoV samples at a low level at one site. Due to the possibility of cross-reaction with a sparrow-associated DCoV, weekly sampling was adjusted to include collection of sparrow feces. All bird samples have tested so far have been weakly positive or suspect. Further follow-up needs to be done to confirm the presence of the bird-associated virus; however, virus isolation and sequencing will require a strong positive sample to ensure sufficient DNA is present. The National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg will conduct virus isolation and sequencing on samples of bird feces yielding a strong positive test result.
Source: Alberta Pork