Author Archives: Paul Sundberg

The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) 2020 Plan of Work and budget were approved by the Board of Directors on January 30, 2020. “We continue to focus on protecting the health of the US swine industry which is extremely important,” remarked Daryl Olsen, DVM, chair of the SHIC Board of Directors. “We’re going to build on the success we’ve had over the last several years. We look at the risks out there and know both need and opportunity are huge.” SHIC’s 2020 Plan of Work directs the investment made by US pork producers, through the National Pork Board’s initial financial support of the organization in 2015, to protect and enhance the health of the US herd. The SHIC Board of Directors considers this investment while setting priorities for the coming year as part of its ongoing stewardship.

Studies have shown the theoretical ability for swine viruses to be transmitted through feed and feedstuffs. Ongoing research caused the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), the National Pork Board, the National Pork Producers Council, and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians to offer updated and revised information for feed holding times to mitigate virus transmission. Feed component holding times could be one tool used in conjunction with other mitigations to enhance feed safety. Sourcing feed components from regions or countries of the world that don’t have ASF, or other diseases foreign to the US, will also negate potential risk.

Swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV), related to the bat coronavirus HKU2, was associated with severe outbreaks of diarrhea with high mortality rates in pigs in China in 2018. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and porcine delta coronavirus (PDCoV) are closely related to SADS-CoV. After PEDV and PDCoV were diagnosed in the US with devastating consequences, the swine industry saw the emergence of SADS-CoV in Asia as a potential concern. Should SADS-CoV be introduced into the US as PEDV and PDCoV were, the industry must be prepared to rapidly implement adequate control strategies to mitigate the impact of the disease to pork producers. The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) is supporting development of rapid diagnostic tools for the timely detection of swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV) nucleic acid and/or antigens in clinical samples.

The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) funded the Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project (MSHMP), based at the University of Minnesota, to achieve four objectives benefiting US swine herd health. In MSHMP’s annual update, it was confirmed the study provides valuable insight in these areas: developing capacity to capture and analyze movement data, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv) sequence evolution and impact, monitoring trends in pathogens incidence and prevalence, and finally, expanding producer participation in monitoring work for greater inclusion. Due to SHIC’s funding, MSHMP has provided new information for better monitoring and prediction of disease impacts.

In a recently completed study funded by the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), contemporary emerging and foreign animal disease (FAD) surveillance practices were studied. One of the study’s authors, Dr. Jeff Zimmerman of Iowa State University, points out the dramatic change the domestic pork production industry has experienced over just a few years with much larger herds and populations in regional areas. “Bigger herds have much more traffic including trucks, people, feed, and movement of pigs between sites,” he observed. “That increases the likelihood and speed of disease transmission.”

The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) continues to monitor Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) in the US. This includes recent cases in Pennsylvania where, on December 23, 2019, their Department of Agriculture designated S. zooepidemicus in swine a dangerous transmissible disease (DTD). By Pennsylvania law, the state’s Department of Agriculture has authority to monitor the domestic animal population of the Commonwealth to determine the prevalence, incidence, and location of transmissible diseases of animals. The DTD designation provides legislative authority for requiring reporting of S. zooepidemicus along with penalties for noncompliance in Pennsylvania.

When the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) was formed July 1, 2015, it was with the understanding it was a five-year project. The proposal language surrounding the Center’s formation stated, “Funding of the Center past its five-year life will depend on it being able to demonstrate a sufficient return on the investment to justify keeping it running.” Following presentation and approval of SHIC’s 2019 Progress Report on January 7, 2020, the National Pork Board (NPB) Board of Directors voted to extend the project for two more years, using SHIC’s existing funds. NPB also agreed to continued consideration of future funding and coordination beyond the two-year extension. In the 2019 report, it is clear African swine fever (ASF) required significant resources, however, SHIC remained faithful to its mission to protect the health of the US swine herd through comprehensive preparedness, monitoring, response, and communications activities. The 2019 Progress Report details progress in each of these areas.

On December 4, the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) and American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) sponsored a webinar titled, “Disease Management of Viral Myelitis.” Designed for veterinary practitioners and pork producers, information presented by diagnosticians as well as case studies provided insight into symptoms of these central nervous system (CNS) diseases, appropriate steps for diagnosis, as well as on-farm management experience with porcine astrovirus 3 (PoAstV3), porcine sapelovirus (PSV), and porcine teschovirus (PTV). A video of the webinar presentations is available on here or in the AASV Video Library.