Category Archives: Animal Health

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.

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network may be able to coordinate free animal sample (e.g., tissue, feces, blood) testing for select cases of adverse events related to animal feed to help determine if an animal’s illness was caused by its feed. To learn more about the reporting process, view Information for veterinarians on reporting suspected animal food issues, available as a free open-access article in JAVMA.

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.

Behind the scenes, animal health officials are working on behalf of producers and the livestock industry. Some issues are top-of-mind, like African swine fever, but others might not be on your radar. Participants of the National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials met on Friday, Oct. 25, in conjunction with the 2019 U.S. Animal Health Association (USAHA) annual meeting in Providence, R.I. Here are five topics of interest discussed during the meeting. [Source: Farm Journal’s Pork, 26 Oct 2019]

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.

The PRRS Outbreak Management Project (POMP) is seeking collaborators to gather data on best management practices throughout the 2019/2020 PRRS outbreak season.

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.

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.

The PRRS Outbreak Management Project (POMP) is seeking collaborators to gather data on best management practices throughout the 2019/2020 PRRS outbreak season.

Vesicular diseases have been on the radar of animal health governmental agencies and industries around the world due to their high socio-economic impact. Unfortunately, there are viruses that induce vesicular lesions that resemble these high impact diseases. Senecavirus A is an example. [Source: National Hog Farmer 10 September 2019]