Evaluation of Truck Cab Decontamination Procedures following Inoculation with Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus

Simple Summary It is widely understood that transportation vehicles can serve as potential vectors of pathogen transmission within swine production systems for pathogens of concern such as porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). The objective of this experiment was to evaluate several decontamination methods for the mitigation of PEDV and PRRSV within truck cabs. A total of three full-sized truck cabs were modified for use in a BSL-2 research facility with multiple surface types including fabric, rubber, and plastic. Surfaces were inoculated with either PEDV alone, PRRSV alone, PEDV + an organic matter mixture of feces and dirt, or PRRSV + organic mixture. Practical decontamination methods were then applied using a pump sprayer or Hurricane fogger system, or a commercially available gaseous chlorine dioxide system. Several differences were observed within the different combinations of disinfectants and surfaces, indicating that under the conditions of this study, the ability of different disinfectants to reduce the detection of PEDV and PRRSV genetic materials differed depending on the surface being evaluated. In general, most disinfectant applications were only able to reduce the quantity of detectable virus but not completely eliminate it from the surface. Abstract This experiment aimed to evaluate commercially available disinfectants and their application methods against porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) on truck cab surfaces. Plastic, fabric, and rubber surfaces inoculated with PEDV or PRRSV were placed in a full-scale truck cab and then treated with one of eight randomly assigned disinfectant treatments. After application, surfaces were environmentally sampled with cotton gauze and tested for PEDV and PRRSV using qPCR duplex analysis. There was a disinfectant × surface interaction (p < 0.0001), indicating a detectable amount of PEDV or PRRSV RNA was impacted by disinfectant treatment and surface material. For rubber surfaces, 10% bleach application had lower detectable amounts of RNA compared to all other treatments (p < 0.05) except Intervention via misting fumigation, which was intermediate. In both fabric and plastic surfaces, there was no evidence (p > 0.05) of a difference in detectable RNA between disinfectant treatments. For disinfectant treatments, fabric surfaces with no chemical treatment had less detectable viral RNA compared to the corresponding plastic and rubber (p < 0.05). Intervention applied via pump sprayer to fabric surfaces had less detectable viral RNA than plastic (p < 0.05). Furthermore, 10% bleach applied via pump sprayer to fabric and rubber surfaces had less detectable viral RNA than plastic (p < 0.05). Also, a 10 h downtime, with no chemical application or gaseous fumigation for 10 h, applied to fabric surfaces had less detectable viral RNA than other surfaces (p < 0.05). Sixteen treatments were evaluated via swine bioassay, but all samples failed to produce infectivity. In summary, commercially available disinfectants successfully reduced detectable viral RNA on surfaces but did not eliminate viral genetic material, highlighting the importance of bioexclusion of pathogens of interest.