An active outbreak of mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in pigs in the Australian states of Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia was first reported to the OIE on March 10. So far, 24 swine production sites have been affected. The outbreaks vary from intensive, fully-housed, sow farms to free range farms, with susceptible swine populations on affected sites ranging from five to 100,000 animals, according to OIE reports. Clinical signs have included an increase in stillborn pigs, mummified fetuses, and abortions as well as live pigs born with neurological symptoms including shaking and fine motor tremors. Reports from specific sites include up to a 70% stillborn rate, 50% of sows affected over the last two weeks, and approximately 20% of litters being affected.
Author Archives: Paul Sundberg
SHIC-Funded Research Questions Feed Role in PDCoV Outbreaks
In research funded by the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) and conducted at Kansas State University, two feed mills and three breed-to-wean facilities diagnosed with porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) were investigated for possible connections related to the outbreak. Initial suspicion was feed manufacture and delivery processes were involved in disease transmission. Goals of the research were to understand if the feed mill was the origin of disease and then determine if trucks or people, either coming from the infected farms or coming from the feed mills, served as vectors to spread this virus.
SHIC APP15 Outbreak Investigation – Preliminary Lab Report
In late November 2021, a number of finisher sites in the upper Midwest began reporting outbreaks of respiratory disease with high mortality. Pigs were exhibiting coughing, high fevers and respiratory distress resulting in death loss of up to 51% within a matter of days post-onset. This outbreak affected upwards of nine otherwise unrelated production systems within a narrow geographic radius. Submissions from affected sites received at Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab (ISUVDL) were diagnosed with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 15 (APP15). The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) is supporting additional laboratory analysis of the APP strain involved in the outbreak and, thanks to Alyona Michael, DVM, PhD, DACVP, ISUVDL, here is a preliminary report of results.
SHIC Announces New Associate Director Megan Niederwerder
The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) is pleased to announce Megan Niederwerder, DVM, PhD, has been chosen for the new role of associate director. Most recently an assistant professor in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, Niederwerder has an expected start date of April 1 with SHIC. “The SHIC mission is consistent with my professional goals of increasing the efficiency of pork production through improving swine health,” Niederwerder commented. “It is an honor to be named the first associate director and I look forward to contributing to the breadth of swine health and disease objectives led by SHIC for the industry.”
SHIC Funded MSHMP Reports on 2021 Results and Progress
The Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project (MSHMP), funded in part by the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), continues to monitor trends in pathogen incidence and prevalence, including PRRS and the PRRS 1-4-4 L1C variant. MSHMP data analysis looked at the association of manure pumping activities and PRRS outbreaks as well as helped with outbreak investigations by comparing PRRSv sequences. MSHMP is facilitating sharing of health information by tracking multiple diseases, including transport and health relationships, and is growing into adding boar stud and growing pig data to the sow information already gathered.
SHIC Explores Expansion of Domestic Swine Disease Reporting System
The Swine Health Information Center’s (SHIC’s) domestic disease monitoring reporting system (SDRS) was developed as the result of a veterinary diagnostic lab (VDL) data standardization project utilizing HL7 messaging. SHIC’s support of that work has resulted in a model capturing disease dynamics from daily VDL test results by pathogen over time, specimen, age group, and geographical space. SHIC is now exploring potential expansion of the diagnostic database to increase the breadth of producer disease diagnostic inputs and regional disease surveillance.
February Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report Now Available
The Swine Health Information Center’s (SHIC) February Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report is available.
SHIC 2022 Plan of Work Targets Disease Monitoring, Transport Biosecurity, More
Approved by the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) Board of Directors, the 2022 Plan of Work outlines efforts to be taken in the areas of swine disease monitoring and reports, African swine fever (ASF), transport biosecurity, and other significant projects to protect the US swine herd from emerging diseases. Existing SHIC programs will also continue to be refined and improved.
SHIC-Funded Study on Feed Goes Beyond Mathematical Half-life Calculations
The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) funded a study on time by temperature risk mitigation practices in feed storage.
SHIC/AASV Webinar Addresses APP Outbreak, Management Strategies
With an increase in outbreaks of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) occurring in the Upper Midwest, a webinar was offered by the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV), hosted by the Iowa State University Swine Medicine Education Center (ISU SMEC), on February 1, 2022.