Category Archives: Foreign Animal Disease

African swine fever (ASF) virus continues to spread across the globe with huge socioeconomic impact. Coordinated efforts among all relevant stakeholders are needed to achieve control of this deadly disease. Public and private partnerships (PPPs) can provide optimal use of the unique strengths of both sectors when they are well planned and implemented. [Source: FAO/OIE 23 August 2021]

When a storm is brewing on the horizon, you don’t wait until it strikes to close all the open windows. You figure out which windows are open and start closing them one by one until the house is secure. [Source: Farm Journal’s Pork 26 August 2021, by Jennifer Shike]

On July 28, 2021, USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced confirmed cases of African swine fever (ASF) in the Dominican Republic. Identified through a cooperative surveillance program, these are the first cases of ASF diagnosed in the Western hemisphere in approximately 40 years. Dr. Harry Snelson, Executive Director of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, encourages all veterinarians who see swine to stay vigilant. He says, “Experience has shown that it often takes weeks to recognize and diagnose the introduction of ASF into a naïve country. USDA has implemented an active surveillance system that tests samples submitted to the veterinary diagnostic labs designed to hasten the detection of ASF. This surveillance only works, though, if we actually submit samples to the lab.”

On August 4, 2021, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a Federal Order establishing additional requirements for dogs imported into the US for resale from countries where African swine fever (ASF) exists. The new requirements took effect immediately. Per the USDA, the number of dogs being imported for resale from ASF-affected countries is growing, and APHIS took this action to continue its efforts to protect the domestic swine industry against this devastating disease.

The National Pork Board (NPB) has developed a checklist to help producers prepare for a foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreak in the following areas: Finance Traceability and Surveillance On-site Preparedness Emergency Depopulation and Disposal Download checklist here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is issuing a Federal Order establishing additional requirements that take effect immediately for dogs imported into the United States for resale from countries where African swine fever (ASF) exists. The number of dogs being imported for resale from ASF-affected countries is growing, and APHIS is taking this action to continue its efforts to protect the United States’ swine industry against this devastating disease. [Source: USDA 6 August 2021]

Introducing important work examining the role of contaminated feed as a vector for transmission of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), a new study, funded by SHIC, the National Pork Board and ARS/USDA, was published in July 2021.* Specifically, the study performed by researchers from ARS/USDA at Plum Island, evaluated the potential risk of incursion of FMDV into naïve pig herds through contamination of feed. Per the study report, the goal of the project was the assessment of the infectiousness (viability) of FMDV in commercial whole pig feed and pig feed ingredients. Additionally, the researchers, led by Drs. Stenfeldt and Arzt, determined the dose required to infect pigs through natural feeding behavior. Finally, the project looked at the ability of select commercially available feed additives to reduce infectivity of contaminated feed. “While comparable research investigating the potential biosecurity risks of imported feed exists for other viral pig pathogens (Dee et al., 2018; Niederwerder et al., 2020; Niederwerder et al., 2019), this is the first comprehensive evaluation of the risk of FMDV infection of pigs through ingestion of contaminated feed under controlled experimental conditions,” wrote the authors.

Research being conducted in Vietnam on ELISAs for African swine fever (ASF), made possible by a USDA Foreign Agricultural Service grant obtained by the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) with support from the National Pork Producers Council, continues with a preliminary report issued in July 2021. This work is being done by Biostone Animal Health, with collaboration with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA’s) National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease (NCFAD). Goals of the study are to generate a panel of 2000 pig serum samples with known ASF infection status, determine the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the ELISAs in the study using the panel, and finally to perform an inter-laboratory evaluation of the assays in the USA and Canada.

The Swine Health Information Center’s (SHIC) August Global Swine Disease Monitoring Report is available. This month, read details on African swine fever (ASF) being found in the western hemisphere, in the Dominican Republic, for the first time in 40 years. ASF also continues to spread in German pig farms where three outbreaks were detected in Brandenburg state. Also, in Poland, authorities report an increase of 520% in ASF outbreaks in domestic pig herds the first five months of 2021.

Last week, USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed cases of African swine fever (ASF) in the Dominican Republic. The cases were identified through a cooperative surveillance program.  Here is what U.S. pork producers can do to protect pig herds and maintain continuity of business for the pork industry. [Source: National Pork Board]