Porcine epidemic diarrhea: an emerging disease in Tibetan pigs in Tibet, China.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a devastating cause of diarrhea in pigs worldwide, and has caused enormous economic losses in the pork industry. To date, however, it is still unclear whether Tibetan pigs from the Tibetan Plateau of China are exposed to PED. This study was to investigate the seroprevalence of PED in Tibetan pigs in Tibet, China. A total of 364 serum samples were collected from Tibetan pigs in Nyingchi in 2014 and 2015. Each sample was assayed for PED antibodies by commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Our results showed that the seroprevalence of PED in Tibetan pigs was 39.56% with the further distribution of 26.37% and 52.75% in Nyingchi and Mainling (odds ratio was more commonly affected in Mainling than Nyingchi), respectively. Moreover, the seroprevalence of PED was 65.28%, 35.83%, and 28.57% in juveniles, sub adults, and adults, respectively. The prevalence was found as 40.63% in males and 38.37% in females. The present survey indicated that the infection of PED in Tibetan pigs was widely spread in Tibet, which should arouse public concern of the threat to the health of Tibetan pigs and the development of breeding industry in this unique region of the world.