Porcine epidemic diarrheaClinical signs, differential diagnosis, treatment and prevention in pigs.

Overview

A highly contagious viral diarrheal disease of pigs, with mortality that can exceed 60% in naive neonatal litters. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), an Alphacoronavirus that destroys villus enterocytes of the small intestine.

Clinical signs

Watery diarrhea is the direct virus-induced clinical sign.
Acute/Epidemic form: Rapidly spreading, profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting in pigs of all ages.
In susceptible breeding herds, mortality is extremely high in neonatal/suckling piglets under 7 to 10 days of age (historically 50%, but with new virulent strains can reach 80% to 100% over a 3.5- to 5-week farrowing…
Morbidity can reach 100%.
Incubation period is 3 to 4 days.
Sows show variable signs: anorexia, agalactia, and diarrhea.
Sows infected in the first 30 days of pregnancy exhibit a 12% decrease in farrowing rate and a 2.2 piglet decrease in born-alive to gilt litters.
Feeders, finishers, and adults are severely affected, showing pronounced lethargy, depression, colic, and profuse diarrhea.

Predisposing factors

Introduction of subclinically infected carrier pigs, virus-contaminated fomites (such as boots or clothing), contaminated transport vehicles, and multi-sourcing (assembling feeder pigs from diverse…
Winter and colder temperatures favor virus survival in the environment.

Look-alikes to rule out

Transmissible Gastroenteritis (TGE) Transmissible Gastroenteritis (TGE) Enterotoxaemia

Treatment

No specific antiviral treatment is available.
Affected pigs must have free access to clean water, and oral or parenteral fluid and electrolyte therapy (rehydration and energy provision) must be provided.
Maintain a warm, dry, draft-free environment to prevent hypothermia and starvation.
For finishing pigs, withhold feed for 1 to 2 days during the acute phase of diarrhea.
If concurrent infection with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli is suspected, antibiotic therapy may reduce mortality.

Prevention

1. Maintain strict biosecurity, sanitation, and quarantine procedures. 2. Avoid fecal-oral cycling by cleaning, disinfecting on-farm facilities, and using on-farm disinfectants. 3. Ensure any porcine blood products (e.g., spray-dried plasma) in pig diets are heat-treated (80°F) and stored at room temperature for 6 weeks, or replace with bovine plasma or alternative proteins.

Source

A Textbook of the Diseases of Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Pigs and Goat by ELSEVIER (Pages 350-353, 391); The Merck Veterinary Manual 11th Edition (Pages 818–823); A Textbook of the Diseases of Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Pigs and Goat by ELSEVIER (Pages 394–398, 407).

MSD Veterinary Manual — Coronaviral Enteritis in Pigs (accessed 2026-08-11)

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