AHL LabNote 30-Undifferentiated diarrhea in pigs, including PEDV and PDCoV testing at the AHL

ahlinfo@uoguelph.ca 519-824-4120 ext 54530  Updated April 2020

The AHL encourages veterinarians to submit samples from any cases of undifferentiated diarrhea.

We recommend that the triplex porcine coronavirus PCR for PEDV, TGEV, PDCoV (deltacoronavirus) be done BEFORE submitting animals to the lab for postmortem where diarrhea is a clinical sign.

Submissions for pigs with vomiting and diarrhea should include the samples listed below. Take gut samples as soon as possible after euthanasia and place in formalin to achieve optimal TGEV IHC test performance.

     Tissue

     Fresh

     Formalin-fixed

     stomach

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     duodenum

 

 

     jejunum

       (X 2)

     (X 3)

     ileum

     (X 3)

     cecum

 

 

     spiral colon

      (X 2)

     mesenteric LN

 

 

     other - liver, kidney, spleen, lung

 

 

     feces (leak-proof vial or swab),

 

 

     TESTS

 

 

     Histopathology

     Routine histopathology

     IHC for TGEV, PCV-2

     Bacteriology 

     Colon or feces (NO swabs) for Brachyspira spp., B. hyodysenteriae, B. pilosicoli, B. hampsonii clade I and B. hampsonii clade II PCR.

     Ileum or feces (NO swabs) for Lawsonia intracellularis PCR.

     Intestinal tissue/content, feces, or fecal/intestinal swabs for aerobic (E. coli and Salmonella spp.) and anaerobic (C. perfringens) culture.

    Feces or intestinal content (NO swabs) for C. difficile toxins ELISA. 

     Virology

     Live - fecal swab in VTM (preferred) or feces - Porcine coronavirus PCR (PEDV, TGEV, PDCoV), porcine rotavirus A/B/C PCR. 

     Dead - PCV-2 PCR, rotavirus A/B/C PCR, porcine coronavirus PCR (PEDV, TGEV, PDCoV) on frozen small intestine or feces.

     Serology 

     PEDV ELISA and IFA are available at external laboratories and the AHL can send sera on request.

     Sera from dam, surviving litter/herdmates for differential TGEV/PRCV ELISA (does not detect PEDV antibodies).

Parasitology

     Fecal exam optional (histology can be diagnostic).

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