Evaluating the impact of organic matter and sample processing techniques on RNA detection using environmental samples

This study evaluated sample processing methods and the presence of organic matter on detection of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) from environmental samples using real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Steel coupons were inoculated with PEDV and different types of organic material contamination. Surface samples were collected and processed in one of four ways: none, centrifugation, syringe filtration, or combination of centrifugation and syringe filtration, then submitted for PEDV qRT-PCR. There was a surface inoculation type by processing method interaction (P < .001) that impacted the sample cycle threshold value. Centrifugation resulted in the most consistent detection of PEDV RNA.

Evaluation of biosecurity measures on a swine operation using Glo Germ powder as a visible learning aid

Glo Germ powder was used to determine the efficacy of common biosecurity practices to prevent the powder from spreading to other areas within a farm. Pictures from 4 locations were taken before and after personnel movement to observe any differences in Glo Germ coverage. The percentage of Glo Germ coverage observed in the pictures was evaluated by 47 panelists and averaged. The area without biosecurity measures had more Glo Germ coverage than the 3 areas with biosecurity measures (P < .001). The use of Glo Germ can be used as a learning aid to demonstrate the efficacy of common biosecurity practices.

53 Evaluating the Efficacy of Boot Baths with Wet and Dry Disinfectants for Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus

Maintaining biosecurity between barns is challenging. Boot baths, either wet or dry, can be implemented to limit pathogen spread. The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of boot baths using wet or dry disinfectants for porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Treatments included 1) control, 2) wet disinfectant (Synergize, Neogen, Lexington, KY), and 3) dry disinfectant (Traffic C.O.P., PSP, LLC, Rainsville, AL). Prior to disinfection, 0.5 mL of both PRRSV (~1×105 TCID50/mL) and PEDV (~1×105 TCID50/mL) was placed onto a new boot with a layer of autoclaved corn dust and allowed to dry for 15 minutes. After the mixture dried, the boot was put on and stepped into its respective boot bath. After 3 seconds, the boot was lifted out of the bath and stepped onto a stainless-steel coupon to simulate walking through a facility. Both boot and coupon were allowed to dry for 1 minute before swabs were taken from both surfaces. Samples were analyzed in a duplex PCR at the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Cycle threshold values were analyzed using SAS GLIMMIX v 9.4 (SAS, Inc., Cary, NC). There was no evidence of a treatment×surface×virus interaction (P &gt; 0.10). The interaction between treatment×surface impacted (P &lt; 0.05) the quantity of detectable RNA. The control had greater concentration of virus on the coupon than the boot. The reverse was true for boots treated with wet disinfectant, where the boot had a greater concentration of virus than the coupon. Treatment×virus also impacted detectable RNA (P &lt; 0.05), where wet and control boots had greater quantities of PEDV RNA than PRRSV. There was no detectable virus when dry disinfectant was used. For this trial, dry disinfectant was the most efficacious in reducing the viral RNA on both boots and subsequent surfaces; however, further research in commercial settings is warranted.

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PSI-9 Impacts of Formic Acid and Glycerol Monolaurate on Weanling Pig Immune Function

Feed additives such zinc oxide (ZnO) reduce post-weaning diarrhea and improve nursery pig growth performance, but there is regulatory pressure to eliminate their inclusion due to environmental concerns. Dietary acidifiers have been shown to positively impact gut health, immune status, and performance post-weaning. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of feeding formic acid and/or glycerol monolaurate (GML) on immune status of nursery pigs. A total of 350 weanling pigs (DNA 200 × 400; 5.7 ± 0.06 kg BW) were fed for 42 d with 5 pigs/pen and 14 pens/treatment. Pens were assigned in a completely randomized design to 1 of 5 diets: 1) Negative control (no additives); 2) Control + 3,000 ppm ZnO in phase 1 and 2,000 ppm ZnO in phase 2; 3) Control + 0.7% formic acid; 4) Control + 0.18% GML; 5) Control + 1.0% blend of formic acid and GML. Blood samples were collected via the jugular vein on d 0 and d 14 from 1 randomly selected pig per pen (14 pigs/treatment; 70 pigs total) for analysis of serum immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). After collection, samples were centrifuged at 2,000 x g for 10 min at 4°C and recovered serum was stored at -20°C until analysis. Using an ELISA kit, IgA, IgG and TNF- α were measured according to the kit manufacturer’s recommendations. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS, with pig as the experimental unit. There was no evidence of differences (P &gt; 0.05) in serum IgA, IgG, or TNF-α as a result of dietary treatment. Sampling day significantly impacted (P &lt; 0.05) both serum IgA and IgG concentrations, where regardless of treatment, the levels of IgA increased from d 0 to 14 and decreased for IgG. In summary, feeding formic acid and/or GML did not impact serum immunoglobulin or cytokine levels. Further investigation into how these acidifiers effect immune function post-weaning is needed.

PSI-6 Evaluating Formic Acid and Glycerol Monolaurate Alone or in Combination on Weanling Pig Growth and Fecal Consistency

A total of 350 weanling pigs (DNA 200 x 400, initially 5.67 0.06 kg BW) were fed for 42 d in a completely randomized design. There were 5 pigs/pen and 14 pens/treatment. The 5 dietary treatments included: 1) nursery diet with no additives (CON), 2) control with 3,000 ppm ZnO in phase 1 and 2,000 ppm ZnO in phase 2 (ZnO); 3) control with 0.7% formic acid (Amasil NA, BASF; FA), 4) control with 0.18% glycerol monolaurate (Natural Biologics GML, Newfield, NY; GML), 5) control with a 1.0% blend of formic acid and GML (FORMI 3G, ADDCON GmbH, Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany; FORMI). Individual pig and feeder weights were collected weekly to determine average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain to feed (G:F). From d 7 to d 35, fresh fecal samples (10 g) were collected weekly from the same 3 pigs per pen. Samples were dried in a 55 oven for 48 h to determine fecal DM %. In the first week post-weaning, pigs fed ZnO or FORMI 3G had increased (P = 0.03) ADG compared with pigs fed the control. From d 0 to d 42, pigs fed GML had reduced (P &lt; 0.0001) ADG compared with pigs fed the control, ZnO, or FORMI 3G. No evidence of differences (P &gt; 0.05) were observed for ADFI and G:F. For fecal DM, there was a significant treatment x day interaction (P = 0.04). Pigs fed GML had significantly less fecal DM % on d 7, but a higher fecal DM % on d 14 and 21. By d 28, fecal DM had standardized across dietary treatments. In summary, feeding FA and GML alone or together did not improve growth performance compared with a control during our experiment.

PSVIII-1 Evaluating the Efficacy of Acidifiers Used in Nursery Diets in Reducing Bacterial Loads in Both Non-Inoculated and Inoculated Complete Feed

Acidifiers are used in nursery pig diets to reduce the incidence of diarrhea, improve growth performance, and act as a feed preservative. The objective was to evaluate whether acidifiers were able to reduce bacteria presence in non-inoculated feed and reduce bacteria growth in feed inoculated with Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecium. Each culture media was arranged in a 2×5 factorial with 2 phases and 5 diets. The diets were 1) control – no antibiotics, 2) ZnO (Phase 1: 3,000 ppm Zn and Phase 2: 2,000 ppm Zn), 3) formic acid at 0.7% of the diet (Amasil-NA; BASF Corp. Florham, NJ), 4) glycerol monolaurate – GML at 0.18% of the diet (Natural Biologics, Newfield, NY), and 5) FORMI-3G at 1.0% of the diet (Addcon Gmbh, Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany). Non-inoculated feed was plated onto Aerobic Count, E. coli/Coliform, and Enterobacteriaceae petrifilm (3M, St. Paul, MN). Inoculated feed was initially contaminated with E. coli or E. faecium and allowed to incubate prior to plating on MacConkey. There was no difference (P &gt; 0.05) in quantity of bacteria for the diets inoculated with E. coli. There was no difference (P &gt; 0.05) between the diets inoculated with E. faecium for phase 1; however, the formic acid diet had reduced (P &lt; 0.05) quantities of bacteria compared with control, ZnO, and GML diets. The control and ZnO phase 1 non-inoculated diets had reduced (P &lt; 0.05) quantities of aerobic bacteria, coliforms, and Enterobacteriaceae compared with GML. In phase 2 only the control had reduced (P &lt; 0.05) quantities of Enterobacteriaceae compared with the ZnO and formic acid diets. Formic acid was able to reduce E. faecium quantities in phase 2, while the control and ZnO had decreased overall bacterial loads in phase 1.

Understanding the role of feed manufacturing and delivery within a series of porcine deltacoronavirus investigations

Two feed mills and three breed-to-wean facilities were investigated after being diagnosed with porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) with initial suspicion that feed manufacture and delivery processes were involved in disease transmission. Both feed mills were audited, and environmental samples collected in areas that were deemed high risk for virus contamination. All breed-to-wean facilities had PDCoV detected as would be expected, while the only positive samples for enteric coronaviruses associated with feed mills were feed delivery trucks. These results indicate that feed delivery surfaces can help spread virus during an ongoing disease outbreak and must be considered when determining the outbreak origin.

60 Use of environmental monitoring to inform biosecurity compliance in a swine health challenge

As endemic and foreign diseases threaten the U.S. swine herd, producers are scrutinizing on-farm biosecurity practices. Environmental monitoring may help inform biosecurity compliance. Unfortunately, the Kansas State Swine Teaching and Research Center suffered an outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in March 2019. The objective of this research was to use environmental monitoring to evaluate biosecurity risk on a farm experiencing a viral outbreak. In a completely randomized design, environmental swabs were collected after barn sanitation on 14, 28, and 42-days after initial PEDV diagnosis from four zones: 1) pig contact surfaces within barns, 2) non-pig contact surfaces within barns, 3) outside barns and inside offices, and 4) transition areas. Swabs were analyzed for PEDV, rotavirus, and Enterobacteriaceae at a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedures of SAS, v 9.4 (Cary, NC). There was a significant time × zone interaction for PEDV (P &lt; 0.0001), where swabs from non-pig contact areas within barns on d 28 (Zone 2) had greater (P &lt; 0.05) levels of PEDV than pig-contact areas (Zone 1) on d 14, 28, or 42. No other interactions existed, and they were therefore removed from the statistical model. Time did not affect (P &gt; 0.05) any measured response criteria. No PEDV was detected (45.0 Ct) from Zone 1 due to recent sanitation, but viral presence was highest (P &lt; 0.05) in non-pig contact areas inside barns and was tracked outside of barns and through transition zones (32.9, 34.3, and 38.5 Ct for zones 2, 3, and 4, respectively). There was no detected difference (P &gt; 0.05) for rotavirus or Enterobacteriaceae in time or zone. In conclusion, producers experiencing a PEDV outbreak may successfully decontaminate pig-contact surfaces, but still have risk throughout the farm. Biosecurity practices should support preventing cross-contamination from other contaminated areas.

PSIII-5 Effects of ingredient composition of oral drenches in small piglets post-farrowing on average daily gain and pre-wean mortality

Number of pigs born alive has been a key factor of the increasing efficiency of the U.S. swine industry. However, with increased pigs in the uterus, birth weight has been negatively impacted, with more small or at-risk pigs being born per litter. In order to overcome these changes, a study testing three commercial oral drenches against a control to determine which would increase average daily gain and decrease preweaning mortality. In a completely randomized design, 877 one-day-old suckling pigs from a high-health farm were selected for the experiment if they appeared to be in the bottom 20% of bodyweight compared to their contemporaries. Selected pigs were given one of four drenching treatments: 1) none (control), 2) bioactive proteins (BP), 3) high energy sugars (HES), and 4) immunoglobulins (IgY). Pigs were weighed on d 1 and d 19 of age (weaning), with mortality tracked during the suckling period. Data were analyzed using SAS v 9.4 (Cary, NC), with pig as the experimental unit and an accepted alpha of 0.05. Treatment had no detected effect on birth weight, weaning weight, ADG, or mortality (P = 0.79, 0.96, 0.86, 0.38 respectively). Likewise, statistical contrasts were used to determine there was no detected impact (P &gt; 0.10) of drench, regardless of type, compared to the control in any measured response criteria. Interesting, pigs drenched with BP or IgY had numerically lower preweaning mortality (11.2 and 11.5% respectively), than those administered the control or HES (15.4 and 15.2%, respectively). In conclusion, this experiment showed no significant difference in the performance between piglets given no product vs. those drenched with bioactive proteins, high energy sugars, or immunoglobulins. However, additional research is warranted with greater replication or disease stressors to better understand if oral drenches may improve preweaning performance or mortality in different situations.

PSI-33 Effect of conditioning temperature and pellet diameter on nursery pig growth performance

A total of 350 nursery pigs (initially 7.6 kg BW) were used in a 28-d trial to evaluate the effects of conditioning temperature and pellet diameter on nursery pig performance. Pigs were randomly assigned to 1 of 7 treatments with 10 pens/treatment and 5 pigs/pen. The 7 treatments were arranged in a 2×3 factorial design plus a mash control, with the factors of pellet diameter (4.0 mm vs. 4.8 mm), and conditioning temperature (low, medium, vs. high). Phase 1 conditioning temperatures were 54°C, 66°C, and 77°C, while phase 2 conditioning temperatures were 54°C, 71°C, and 88°C for low, medium, and high, respectively. Pigs were fed phase 1 from d 0 to 14, which contained 10% spray dried whey, while phase 2 was fed from d 14 to 28, which did not contain milk products. Pig weights and feed disappearance were recorded weekly to determine ADG, ADFI, and G:F. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS with pen as the experimental unit. Pellet diameter did not impact (P &gt; 0.05) nursery pig growth performance. Pigs fed pelleted diets had greater (P &lt; 0.05) G:F than those fed mash diets. During phase 1 and overall, there were no significant (P &gt; 0.05) interactive or main effects. However, conditioning phase 2 diets at lower temperatures improved (P &lt; 0.05) ADG and G:F than medium and high conditioning temperatures. In conclusion, pelleting improves nursery pig feed efficiency. To maximize nursery pig feed efficiency, phase 2 diets should be conditioned at relatively low temperatures.

Early outcomes of pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009 surveillance in Abu Dhabi Emirate, May-August 2009

Soon after the initial detection of cases of pandemic H1N1 infection in Mexico, a new H1N1 surveillance system was set up in Abu Dhabi Emirate in May 2009. This paper reports on the outbreak from May to August 2009. A total of 356 cases were confirmed from 20 May 2009 to 16 August 2009. The incidence of confirmed H1N1 cases was 18.5 per 100 000. Their ages ranged from <1 month to 62 years, with a median age of 20 years. The incidence was 18.6 per 100 000 among both males and females. The incidence among United Arab Emirates nationals was higher than expatriates (66.6 versus 5.2 per 100 000). No death attributable to H1N1 was reported. A low-grade H1N1 infection evolved in the Emirate with an incidence lower than some other countries, possibly because of the pandemic being in the early stages, perhaps coupled with under-reporting.

The effect of betel quid chewing on the Achilles tendon reflex time

This study investigated the effect of betel quid chewing on the somatic motor pathway (Achilles tendon reflex time). The subjects, 48 healthy male volunteers, were divided into 4 groups: a control group; first-time chewers; occasional chewers; and habitual chewers. The Achilles reflex time (ART) of the subjects was taken 5 minutes after ingestion of the quid preparation and their pulse rate and respiratory rate were also recorded. The results show that betel quid chewing reduced the ART and increased the pulse rate and respiratory rate. It can be concluded that betel quid chewing causes a transient peripheral stimulation of the somatic motor pathway with a resultant hyperreflexia.