The Swine Health Information Center’s (SHIC) September Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report is available.
Author Archives: Paul Sundberg
CE: SHIC Sponsoring JEV Symposium – Australian Lessons Learned and US Prevention and Planning
The symposium Japanese Encephalitis Virus: Emerging Global Threat to Humans and Livestock will be held October 17-19, 2022 in the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases at the University of Georgia. Sponsored in part by SHIC, the symposium is dedicated to furthering understanding of the current JEV outbreak in Australia, and JEV’s potential for global impact on human and domestic animal populations.
New Research Defines African Swine Fever Virus Stability in Feed Held at Three Storage TemperaturesS
A new publication in the journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases entitled “Stability of African swine fever virus in feed during environmental storage” details the length of time ASFV remains stable in feed at different storage temperatures. The robust study was conducted by a research team led by Dr. Megan Niederwerder, Associate Director of the Swine Health Information Center.
SHIC Talk Podcast Offers ASF Update with AASV, NPB, NPPC
In the latest edition of SHIC Talk, SHIC Associate Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder is joined by NPPC Consultant Dr. Liz Wagstrom, AASV Executive Director Dr. Harry Snelson, and NPB Assistant Chief Veterinarian Dr. Patrick Webb, along with host Barbara Campbell Determan, to share an update on African swine fever. SHIC Talk, the podcast produced by the Swine Health Information Center, is available on the Center’s website and most podcast sources. It brings industry experts together to share their knowledge and pertinent information regarding swine health.
Pen-side ASFV Testing Evaluated in SHIC-Funded Study in Vietnam
Rapid and reliable detection of African swine fever virus infected pigs is critical for successful control. One desirable property of a diagnostic test is the capacity to detect viral infection, especially during the incubation time, even before the infected animals may be displaying clinical signs. In this SHIC study conducted in Vietnam using funds from a USDA-Foreign Ag Service grant, three pen-side tests for ASFV detection were evaluated – one PCR test for detection of viral genomic DNA and two lateral flow tests for detection of viral antigens. Results show the PCR pen-side test performed better than the other two options.
SHIC Board of Directors Welcomes New Members and Elects Officers
The Swine Health Information Center welcomed two new board members during their meeting held on June 29, 2022. Kent Bang, Bang Ag Consulting, LLC, Omaha, Nebraska, and Paul Ruen, DVM, partner in Fairmont (MN) Veterinary Clinic, began their terms. Founding board members Matt Anderson, DVM, an owner of Suidae Health and Production, Algona, Iowa, and Mark Greenwood, formerly with Compeer Financial, Mankato, Minnesota, concluded their service.
SHIC-Supported PCV3 Clinical Sign and Pathology Investigation Informs Case Definition Work
A SHIC-funded report evaluating diagnostic data on porcine circovirus type 3 obtained during 2016-2018 by the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Lab has been posted. Under the direction of Dr. Albert Rovira, the study objectives were to determine associations between PCV3 presence and quantity with lesions and clinical signs. Results showed PCV3 may cause death in fetuses, myocarditis, and systemic vasculitis in pigs. This data is helping to contribute to an ongoing SHIC-funded study to determine an applicable US case definition.
SHIC Board of Directors Sets New Focus on Finishing Phase Biosecurity
At their June 29, 2022, meeting, the Swine Health Information Center Board of Directors voted to proceed with a revision of its 2022 Plan of Work to fund a new program on finishing phase biosecurity. SHIC’s Board approved reallocation of $1 million from the 2022 budget for the program to be developed in response to disease data from its Swine Disease Reporting System and other recent finishing phase disease outbreak investigations. SDRS data is shared monthly with SHIC stakeholders on its website and in its newsletter.
SHIC-Funded Morbillivirus Investigation Confirms No US Detection
The Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab received 22 porcine fetuses from six litters originating in Mexico in the spring of 2020. After extensive testing, metagenomic sequencing identified a new virus in the genus Morbillivirus (porcine morbillivirus or PoMV) from the fetal tissues. Other currently known members in the genus Morbillivirus, including measles virus, rinderpest virus, peste des petits ruminants virus, canine distemper virus, phocine distemper virus, cetacean morbillivirus, and feline morbillivirus, are highly contagious pathogens and can cause serious human and animal diseases.
SHIC-funded Project Examines Growing Pig Site Biosecurity Gaps
Biosecurity typically focuses most intensely on breeding herd facilities. A group of researchers from Iowa State University, led by Dr. Derald Holtkamp, is looking into growing-pig site biosecurity gaps by following PRRS, PEDV and PDCoV infections and investigating a regional Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) outbreak. Initial findings are shared in a recent report. More analysis of the data containing red flags is ongoing but Dr. Holtkamp cautioned, “If we ever get ASF or another FAD in the US, and we don’t detect it very, very early, it’s going to spread because of a lack of ability to prevent transmission from one herd to another.”