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SHIC Diagnostic Assay Catalog Updated with New Tools

An updated Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) Diagnostic Assay Catalog has been posted and now includes Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs) for detection of antibodies in serum and oral fluids against Hepatitis E, sapelovirus, teschovirus, swine influenza virus, porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3), and atypical porcine pestivirus in addition to 18 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Assays. The initial SHIC PCR Assay Catalog, published in 2018, contained 17 SHIC-funded tests. The catalog illustrates how far the pork industry has advanced in the ability to test for emerging diseases as well as how SHIC is fulfilling its mission of diagnostic preparedness and readiness for possible new or emerging production diseases.

SHIC/AASV Dec 4 Webinar Provides Viral Myelitis Management Resources

Veterinarians receiving diagnostic test results of porcine astrovirus 3, porcine sapelovirus, or porcine teschovirus may need more information to improve management of the CNS syndrome associated with these viruses. To address these challenges, the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), in collaboration with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV), will hold a webinar titled Disease Management of Viral Myelitis for veterinary practitioners and pork producers on December 4, 2019, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am CST.

USAHA Swine-Specific Resolutions Result of Industry Collaboration

Following the annual meeting of the US Animal Health Association (USAHA) last month, resolutions will be sent to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service – Veterinary Services (APHIS-VS) to convey the importance of pork industry issues from the organization’s membership. The US swine industry was well represented on USAHA committees affecting pork production and offering the resolutions, including Transmissible Diseases of Swine, Animal Emergency Management, Animal Welfare, One Health, and National Animal Health Laboratory Network. African swine fever (ASF) was the main topic addressed by several committees with swine industry experts sharing information and was the focus of the keynote address given by Dr. Juan Lubroth, chief veterinary officer for the United Nations Food and Animal Organization. The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) contributed by providing background and support of the science behind proposed resolutions. The approved resolutions are intended to protect the health of the US swine herd.

SHIC Supported Genetic Analyses Conducted on Recent Strep Cases in US Assembly Yards

Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) was isolated from two recent cases of high sow and feeder pig mortality in US assembly yards. While this organism is a sporadic cause of disease in multiple animal species, it has rarely been associated with disease outbreaks in US swine. Work completed by the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab (ISU VDL) since the initial diagnosis, with support from the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), provides more details on current concerns.

Pork Industry Meets with CBP to Discuss FAD Prevention Efforts

The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) joined with the National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, and American Association of Swine Veterinarians to meet with representatives of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in mid-October to discuss screening efforts related to foreign animal disease (FAD) prevention. The meeting between swine industry organizations and CBP was to communicate frustration with an apparent lack of entry controls as evidenced by the self-reporting being sent to SHIC. This process is essential and must be continued to keep up appropriate prevention efforts at our borders to safeguard the health of the US swine herd. CBP was receptive to the concerns and committed to investigating the issue further.

SHIC Support of Domestic Disease Monitoring and MSHMP Provides Tools for PRRS Prevention

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) continues to present challenges to producers. Using data generated by the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) veterinary diagnostic lab standardization project and the resulting domestic disease monitoring report, Dr. Daniel Linhares of Iowa State University (ISU) and colleagues update current PRRS incidence and status. The Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project (MSHMP) gives an opportunity to assess and prioritize biosecurity protocols to prevent PRRS. And a new project, again using MSHMP data, analyzes the predictability of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PED) outbreaks that could lead the way to also predicting PRRS infections.

SHIC Work on Asian ASF Study Begins with Trip to Vietnam

In August, it was announced the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) received a grant from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, with active support from the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), to start a dialogue between the US and Asia, sharing veterinary knowledge and ways to prevent African swine fever (ASF) from further spreading. In September, SHIC Executive Director Dr. Paul Sundberg traveled to Vietnam as this process was launched. In this first phase, as key stakeholders were identified, collaboration and tours of ASF-affected farms in Vietnam gave Dr. Sundberg and strategic partners in the process a first-hand look at the disease’s impact. Dr. Sundberg notes it will be easy to mistake an ASF outbreak for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), salmonella septicemia, or any other herd-level disease. “Veterinarians need to communicate to producers that they can’t assume that what they see is what they’ve had in their barns before,” he explained. “Producers need to get a professional diagnosis every time they have a morbidity or mortality event on the farm, no matter if it is individual or multiple animals.”

Strep Diagnosis in Swine Assembly Yards Spurs Response

The Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab (ISU VDL) has confirmed Streptococcus equi ssp zooepidemicus in two recent, potentially related cases of sows for slaughter and feeder pigs in assembly yards in the Midwest. The bacterial sepsis caused by the strep has resulted in high mortality rates. Dr. Rodger Main, director of operations at the ISU VDL, shared information on these unique cases with the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) as well as the US swine veterinary and pork industry stakeholder communities. SHIC joins the ISU VDL in encouraging attention to farm and transport biosecurity, adequate cleaning and disinfection procedures – particularly of trucks and trailers interacting with markets and first points of concentration. Prevention, diagnosis, and possibly treatment also need the industry’s attention, should similar cases become evident in commercial herds. Both African swine fever and classical swine fever were ruled out during testing due to similar presentations – a necessary step in any further diagnostic work for suspected cases. As part of SHIC’s mission, it is offering support to further characterize the strep bacteria from the two cases from the ISU VDL to increase understanding of its epidemiology.

October Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report Now Available

The Swine Health Information Center’s (SHIC) October Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report is available. The percentage of positive porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) cases from wean-to-market age category in September was at 35.52%, up slightly from August for the second consecutive month. There was also an increase in the total number of cases tested, 376 in September compared to 340 in August. Cooler nights during the end of August and during September have been pointed to by the advisory council as a contributing factor for the recent increase in detection of wean-to-market animals. The level of detection of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) RNA during September for the age category wean-to-market was at 12.98%, which was similar to August. The level of detection of PEDV during September in adult/sow farms is 5.24%, the historical lowest since PEDV entered the US. The level of detection of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in the age category of adult/sows was 32.5% in August, the highest monthly level of detection for this agent in this category during the last three years. Complete details are included in the full report as well as the new disease diagnosis tracking information.

Korean African Swine Fever Outbreak Update

African swine fever (ASF) was first confirmed in South Korea on September 17, 2019. As of September 24, 2019, a total of five ASF cases were found in the southeast Asian country. All the current outbreaks closely neighbor North Korea, by land or sea. The first two ASF cases in South Korea were confirmed in Paju and Yeoncheon. The third was discovered in Gimpo then a fourth was found in Paju. The fifth was just reported in Kanghwa. Dr. Kyoung-Jin Yoon, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine professor and Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory staff, maintains close connections with swine industry experts in his native country and has been monitoring the ASF situation in South Korea closely.