Disinfectant Expands Options to Fight PEDV

Pork producers have another tool in their battle against Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) – accelerated hydrogen peroxide® (AHP®) disinfectant, sold under the brand name Accel®. This comes from a recent study, funded by Pork Checkoff and conducted at Iowa State University, that found the disinfectant inactivates PEDV even in the presence of feces found in swine trailers.

According to Lisa Becton, DVM, Pork Checkoff’s director of swine health information and research, a real key to the study was the fact that it mimicked harsh, real-life conditions.

“In particular, our Swine Health Committee wanted to know if the AHP disinfectant would work in cold conditions, under which PEDV thrives and spreads easily,” she said.

For the study, Iowa State researchers prepared PEDV-positive feces and PEDV-negative feces (for the control group), which they spread onto aluminum trays designed to replicate the floor of a commercial livestock trailer. The trays were placed in a refrigerator at 39°F for 30 minutes to replicate the inside of trailers during winter.

The AHP disinfectant was mixed with a 10 percent propylene glycol solution to keep it from freezing under winter-like temperatures (14°F). The chilled trays were subjected to one of 10 treatments that involved the AHP disinfectant at concentration rates of 1:16 and 1:32, contact times of 40 and 60 minutes and heavy or light loads of PEDV-infected feces. Following the treatments, each tray’s contents were collected and administered to groups of four-week-old pigs to determine whether the PED virus remained infectious.

“The results show that when mixed with propylene glycol, AHP effectively inactivates PEDV in the presence of light or heavy feces loads at temperatures below freezing,” said Derald Holtkamp, DVM, assistant professor of veterinary diagnostics at Iowa State. “This was true for both the 40-minute and 60-minute disinfectant contact time periods, which is generally achievable under field conditions.”

The results also held true for both AHP disinfectant concentration rates.

“This is not an absolute control measure for PEDV, but the more we know, the wider range of options producers have for effective control,” Becton said. “The priority defense against PEDV is still to thoroughly wash, disinfect and dry livestock transport vehicles.”

When thorough cleaning and disinfecting is not possible, however, the researchers concluded that using a minimum 1:32 concentration of AHP disinfectant in a 10 percent propylene glycol solution with 40 minutes of contact time is an effective option to reduce PEDV transmission between pig groups.

“When specific application restrictions exist, such as short contact times, cold weather or the presence of a significant amount of fecal matter, the AHP disinfectant provides a workable alternative,” Holtkamp said.

Source: PorkCheckoff