Category Archives: Animal Health

Of the 183 countries in the World Organization of Animal Health, only 67 (36%) are free of foot-and-mouth disease. Classical swine fever virus, eradicated from the United States in 1978, is also circulating in much of the rest of the world–only 38 WOAH countries are free of CSFV. And since African swine fever virus was first introduced into the country of Georgia in 2007, 60 countries have reported ASFV outbreaks. North American pork producers have been protected from most of this, but the world keeps getting smaller.

A study funded through the Swine Health Information Center Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program, in partnership with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and Pork Checkoff, recently completed an evaluation of pressure washing tools and methods to enhance biosecurity and overcome labor shortages. Led by Dr. Francisco Cabezon, vice president of Pipestone Research, the study compared the efficacy and efficiency of an automated power washer to a manned power-washing crew, with evaluation of cleaning time, manpower time, water usage, and cleanliness rate.

To better understand the spread of influenza and to protect both pigs and people, the National Swine Registry (NSR) has been collaborating with The Ohio State University’s Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine since 2016 to learn more about influenza transmission.

The PRRS Committee identified the need for educational materials on the use and interpretation of whole genome sequencing in the field and understanding recombination of the PRRS virus. The PRRS committee published two factsheets to address this need.

The Swine Health Information Center-funded Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project (MSHMP) noted an increase in occurrence of a novel PRRSV variant in December 2023 and January 2024. In the May 10, 2024, MSHMP report, a total of 61 sequences belonging to the novel PRRSV variant 1H.18 have been reported as of week 19 of 2024 in the MSHMP database. This variant has been identified in nine production systems located mostly in Iowa (n=23) and Minnesota (n=22), along with one sequence detected in Illinois.

When reports of African swine fever outbreaks in China hit the news in 2018, the U.S. pork industry went right to work to boost preparedness and prevention efforts. Industry strides and advancements in these areas were shouted across the news headlines; meanwhile, work taking place on the critically important aspects of depopulation and mortality management were less talked about.

Part of the Swine Health Information Center’s (SHIC) mission to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd includes identifying emerging disease threats through surveillance and monitoring. The recent detection and confirmation by USDA of HPAI H5N1 in domestic livestock raises concerns regarding the emerging threat and potential risks to swine herds.

The Swine Health Information Center’s (SHIC) May Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report is available.

The Swine Health Information Center, in collaboration with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, hosted a webinar on influenza A viruses on Friday, April 19, 2024. The goal of the webinar was to understand the threat HPAI H5N1 poses to domestic livestock species and to inform producers of actions that can be taken to prevent infection on-farm. This article includes an overview of the clinical presentation and epidemiology of the multi-state dairy herd outbreak and a review of biosecurity considerations for swine farms to mitigate risks of HPAI H5N1. A separate article addresses global influenza surveillance and research outcomes for HPAI H5N1 experimental infection in swine. The webinar garnered high interest with 1341 registrants and 921 joining the webinar live from 30 countries.

The Swine Health Information Center, in collaboration with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, hosted a webinar on influenza A viruses on Friday, April 19, 2024. The goal of the webinar was to understand the threat HPAI H5N1 poses to domestic livestock species and to inform producers of actions that can be taken to prevent infection on-farm. This article includes an overview of influenza A viruses, global and domestic distribution of the virus, IAV swine surveillance programs, and research outcomes for HPAI H5N1 experimental infection in swine. A separate article includes information regarding the clinical presentation and epidemiology of the multi-state dairy herd outbreak and a review of biosecurity considerations for swine farms to mitigate risks of HPAI H5N1. The webinar garnered high interest with 1341 registrants and 921 joining the webinar live from 30 countries.