Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus

VIRUSES CORONOAVIRUSES

Antigenicity

• Single serotype

Hosts

• Pigs

Pathogenesis

• Malabsorptive diarrhoea
• All ages susceptible but effects vary on age:
  • Less than 2 weeks of age: typically fatal
  • Over 5 weeks of age: recovery and immunity
• For more, see here

Epidemiology

• Largely replaced by a respiratory variant in Europe
• Highly contagious spread by orofecal transmission
• Two forms of infection can occur:
  • Epizootic: Explosive infection
    • Introduction to a non-immune herd spreads quickly
  • Enzootic: Persistent infection
    • Immune sows provide passive immunity but piglets will suffer mild symptoms post-weaning

Diagnosis

• Fluorescent microscopy on SI sections

Control

Explosive infection:

• Separate sows 2 weeks from farrowing
• Exposure of flock will serve to immunise
• No effective vaccines exist