This project set out to evaluate the efficacy of novel metal nanoparticles (with previously demonstrated antimicrobial properties), either alone or in combination with alternative disinfecting strategies for inactivation of PED. Conducting the work under Biosafety Level 3 containment, experiments that simulated hog production environments showed that copper nanoparticles (Cu-NP) and lime treatments were effective in deactivating the PED virus. These treatments, after being fully validated in subsequent field trials, can form the basis for alternative strategies for controlling PEDv and can be used in conjunction with existing chemical disinfectants to expand biosecurity protection to gaps where current available techniques may not be effective or impractical to
apply.
