May 23, 2014

Mexico reports PEDv in 17 states out of 19 tested

Mexico reported outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDv) in 17 states out of 19 tested, the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) said.

Following reports of unusually high mortality, mainly in piglets, in the central-western part of the country, Mexican veterinary officials tested 2,309 samples between August 2013 and May 2014 in farms and slaughterhouses, the Mexican agriculture ministry told the OIE.

These showed that 30% were positive for porcine epidemic diarrhoea, suggesting that there may be some other causative agent involved in this event, the ministry said.

The 17 Mexican states where positive PEDv cases were identified were: Aguascalientes, Baja California, Colima, Federal District, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Jalisco, State of Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Nuevo Leon, Puebla, Queretaro, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tlaxcala and Veracruz, the ministry said. Samples from the States of Yucatan and of Oaxaca were negative for the disease. Mexico has 32 states including the federal district of Mexico.

The ministry said that, to date, it had not been possible to isolate the virus.

PEDv has killed about seven million young pigs since it was first identified in the United States almost a year ago, sending pork prices rocketing.