Category Archives: Animal Health

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.

Two completely different viral outbreaks are making international headlines and originating in China – one affects people and one affects pigs. They share the similarity of being viruses, but that’s where it ends. The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and African swine fever (ASF) are very different. [Source: Farm Journal’s Pork 31 Jan 2020, by Jennifer Shike]

Interspecies transmission of influenza A virus is believed to be a principal mechanism contributing to the emergence of novel influenza strains that pose a threat to human and swine health. While extensive education has been directed at swine producers, the AASV Influenza Committee would like to gauge swine veterinarians’ approach to limiting bidirectional influenza transmission and communicating the risk of such transmission. The committee would like to learn more about your thoughts and perceptions regarding the public health risk of swine lineage influenza, your recommendations to limit the transmission of disease between people and pigs, and your ability to access information regarding the virus and disease. This information will be used to direct future activities of the Influenza Committee.

Iowa State University and the University of Minnesota are enrolling herds in two PRRS projects.

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.

Swine operations in 38 states will be contacted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) starting in June 2020 and asked to participate in a national level study. This study focuses on the health, health practices and biosecurity employed by swine producers in this country. These confidential national studies have been occurring every 5-8 years for 30 years. National estimates of this type have found use in trade negotiations and providing objective information to the swine industry, policymakers and researchers of all types.

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.

The Swine Health Information Center’s (SHIC) January Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report is available. The overall percentage of PRRSV positive cases in December for adult/sow farms was 24.99%. This level of detection for the adult/sow farm is the highest since 2013 for the months of November and December. After four months of consecutive increase in percentage of PRRS positive results for wean to market cases, there was a decrease in the percentage of positive results in December. The number of PRRSV positive cases from December 1 to 28 was above expected in Minnesota and Nebraska. The overall percentage of PEDV RNA positive cases in December was 15.64%. Increased detection of PEDV RNA above expected levels December 1 to 14 was mostly driven by wean-to-market cases, primarily from Iowa. The percentage of PEDV RNA positive cases for adult/sow farm cases was 8.46% in December, the lowest historical December level for adult/sow farm. The overall percentage of PDCoV RNA positive cases in December was 4.59%. Increased detection of PDCoV RNA above expectations December 1 to 22 was mostly driven by wean-to-market animals, primarily from Iowa. There were four positive cases for TGEV RNA over a total of 2,802 cases tested in December. All positive cases were detected in Iowa. The level of detection of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae during December followed the expected predicted decrease in detection for this period of the year. Read the entire report here.

Iowa State University and the University of Minnesota are enrolling herds in two PRRS projects.