Stability of Senecavirus A in animal feed ingredients and infection following consumption of contaminated feed

Animal feed and feed ingredients have recently been investigated as sources of pathogen introduction to farms and as a potential source of infection to animals post-consumption of contaminated feed. Survival of several viruses for a prolonged period has been demonstrated in feed. Here, we determined the rate of decay of Senecavirus A (SVA) in swine feed ingredients as a function of time and temperature and established half-life estimates for the virus. Select feed ingredients were spiked with a constant amount of SVA (10⁵ median tissue culture infectious dose 50) and incubated at 4, 15 and 30°C for up to 91 days. Virus viability and the presence of viral RNA were assessed in samples collected over time.

At the three different temperatures investigated, dried distillers’ grains with solubles (DDGS) and soybean meal (SBM) provided the most stable matrices for SVA, resulting in half-lives of 25.6 and 9.8 days, respectively. At 30°C, SVA was completely inactivated in all feed ingredients and in the control sample, which did not contain a feed matrix. Although virus infectivity was lost, viral RNA remained stable and at consistent levels throughout the experimental period. Additionally, the ability of SVA to infect swine via ingestion of contaminated feed was investigated in 3-week-old, weaned pigs. Animals were provided complete feed spiked with three concentrations of SVA (10⁵, 10⁶ and 10⁷ per 200 g of feed) and allowed to naturally consume the contaminated feed. This procedure was repeated for three consecutive days. Infection of pigs through consumption of contaminated feed was confirmed by virus neutralization assay and the detection of SVA in serum, feces and in the tonsil of exposed animals by real-time reverse transcriptase PCR.

Our findings demonstrate that feed matrices are able to extend the survival of SVA, protecting the virus from decay. Additionally, we demonstrated that consumption of contaminated feed can lead to productive SVA infection.

Caserta LC, Noll JCG, Singrey, A, Niederwerder MC, Dee S, Nelson EA, Diel DG. Stability of Senecavirus A in animal feed ingredients and infection following consumption of contaminated feed. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. 2022. 69: 88-96. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.14310