ISSUE FOCUS 38 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2026 signs in the related pens, while 1 (or more) animal per pen expressed morbidity in the control group (Figure 1, left). Similarly, for PRRSv and PEDv, autopsies confirmed the absence of signs of infection in the target biological compartments of pigs fed with FeedLock compared to the control group. In this test, infection by SVAv appeared to be insufficient to fully assess the impact of MCFA (Figure 1, right). These very discriminating results confirmed that incorporation of FeedLock in the feed exerts a preventive effect against the associated symptoms of PRRSv, PEDv and SVAv. We also analyzed the presence of viral RNA in the feeder and in the pigs’ saliva, in order to confirm that the lower incidence of viruses at the animal level was a result of the MCFA action on the viral particles at the feed level – minimizing, as a consequence, the risk for pigs to be exposed to the pathogens at the feeder level, where the interaction between the feed, the pathogens, and the animals is most likely to occur. Morbidity signs in pens for the different viruses (pen levels, n=6/group) 100% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 100% 0% PRRSv PEDv SVAv 0% 0% 100% Control animals MCFA Blend Control animals MCFA Blend PRRSv 0% 0% 20% 77% 100% 0% Presence of infected pigs at autopsy (pen levels, n=6/group) 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% PEDv SVAv Figure 1. Impact of the virus challenge in animals according to each pathogen. Relevant virus-associated symptoms (left) as well as presence of the virus particle in targeted biological compartments (right) were assessed at pen level as described above. Virus-related RNA detection in the feeders (n=6 feeders/group) 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 PRRSv PEDv 6 dpi SVAv PRRSv PEDv Control MCFA blend 15 dpi SVAv Virus-related RNA detection in the pig saliva (n=6 feeders/group) 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 PRRSv PEDv 6 dpi SVAv PRRSv PEDv Control MCFA blend 15 dpi SVAv Figure 2. Impact of FeedLock on the prevalence of the different viral RNA sequences in the feeder (left) and in the pigs’ saliva (right, collected from 1 chewing rope/pen) along the virus challenge 6 or 15 days post-infection (dpi).
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