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Swine influenza
Swine influenza is a highly contagious viral infection of pigs. The disease in swine occurs within a herd either as an epizootic or enzootic form. In the epizootic form, the virus quickly moves through all phases of a swine unit with rapid recovery, provided there are not complicating factors such as secondary bacterial infections. In the enzootic form, clinical signs may be less obvious and not all pigs may demonstrate traditional clinical signs of infection. Morbidity rates can reach 100% with swine influenza infections, while mortality rates are generally low. The primary economic impact is related to retarded weight gain resulting in an increase in the number of days to reach market weight.
Swine influenza is caused by influenza A viruses in the family Orthomyxoviridae. Influenza A viruses are further characterised by subtype by the two major surface glycoproteins, haemagglutinin and neuraminidase. One relatively stable subtype, H1N1, was the etiologic agent of most swine influenza until the mid-1990s, and has been the strain historically most commonly associated with “classical swine influenza”. Since that time, established swine influenza viruses comprise various subtypes and variants, many of which are the result of substantial reassortment between influenza A viruses of several hosts. Currently circulating influenza viruses infecting swine also include genetic components, or entire viruses, of avian and human influenza viruses.
The most common subtypes of influenza virus in swine are H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2. Despite the same subtype classification, swine influenza viruses in Europe and the United States of America (USA) are genetically distinct. H3N1 influenza viruses have also been isolated from pigs in the USA and Korea (Rep. of), and H2N3 influenza viruses were detected in pigs in the USA but have not apparently become established in the pig population.
The pandemic H1N1 influenza virus has been found for the first time in a commercial swine herd, Reuters has reported.
The affected herd was found in Indiana, according to the USDA who noted that both the pigs and their caretakers have fully recovered from the virus. USDA said the Indiana facility has continued its routine processing practices because it is safe for swine that recover...
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Department of Agriculture officials are encouraging monitoring and surveillance to mitigate the novel H1N1 virus' potential harm to U.S. swine herds.
But pork producers are submitting fewer influenza test samples to diagnostic laboratories, the chief veterinary officer for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said.
Dr. John R. Clifford, deputy administrator for Veterinary Services at USDA-APHIS, said Veterinary Services recently created guidelines on managing...
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The novel influenza A virus (H1N1) has been found in a pig herd in New South Wales, Australia, as a result of human-to-pig transmission.
In a press release, Australian Pork Limited (APL) CEO Andrew Spencer said, "This isolated incident is now being handled in accordance with exotic disease response procedures under the supervision of New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, with the health and wellbeing of the animals of paramount concern. We expect the...
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Preliminary results from three researches indicate that the novel influenza A virus (H1N1) is transmittable in swine populations, earlier Swine Influenza Virus immunity does not seem to protect against the virus, but the novel virus does not seem to affect any other tissue than the respiratory tract.
A British study, released in the end of May and, coordinated by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge, UK, found that the virus can be transmitted among pigs,...
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Argentinian authorities announced a national animal health alert as the influenza A (H1N1) virus had been detected on a second pig farm in the Buenos Aires province, Reuters reports.
"A state of alert doesn't mean there's high risk. It just means that the virus could appear in another farm,", commented Jorge Dillon, director of Senasa, the service for animal health and food safety in Argentina.
"This virus has pretty mild symptoms in pigs, and of course,...
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The effects of H1N1 swine flu have been investigated in a group of piglets. Scientists writing in BioMed Central's open access Virology Journal studied the pathology of the virus, finding that all infected animals showed flu-like symptoms between one and four days after infection and were shedding virus two days after infection.
Roongroje Thanawongnuwech led a team of researchers from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, who infected 22-day old pigs with both the H1N1 strain...
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The Canadian Pork Council is assuring the public of the safety of pork following the discovery of H1N1 flu in an Alberta swine herd.
On Saturday the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced an Alberta swine herd had been placed under quarantine following the discovery of H1N1 Influenza A in the herd.
The pigs are believed to have been exposed by a Canadian who recently returned from Mexico and had been exhibiting flu like symptoms.
Signs of illness were subsequently...
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Manitoba's chief provincial public health officer reports a novel H1N1 strain of Influenza A appears no more severe than typical strains of flu but action to avoid spreading the infection remains important.
The number of laboratory confirmed cases of H1N1 Flu Virus in Canada now stands at 165.
Dr. Joel Kettner says it's too early to draw conclusions but, with each passing day, it's looking more as if this novel strain is not as severe as some had feared.
He says...
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From Egypt's order that all 300,000 pigs in the country be slaughtered to travel bans and putting the kibosh on kissing, the world is taking drastic - and some say debatable - measures to combat swine flu.
Egypt ordered the pig slaughter even though there hasn't been a single case of swine flu there and no evidence that pigs have spread the disease. Britain, with only five cases, is trying to buy 32 million masks. And in the United States, President Barack Obama said more of the...
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What is swine influenza?
Swine influenza, or "swine flu", is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs, caused by one of several swine influenza A viruses. Morbidity tends to be high and mortality low (1-4%). The virus is spread among pigs by aerosols and direct and indirect contact, and asymptomatic carrier pigs exist. Outbreaks in pigs occur year round, with an increased incidence in the fall and winter in temperate...
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Effect of Supplemental Dl-met Above Requirement on Performance and Serum Concentration of Amino Acids in Heat Stressed Pigs
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Researchers have identified a new strain of swine influenza—H2N3—which belongs to the group of H2 influenza viruses that last infected humans during the 1957 pandemic. This new strain has a molecular twist: It is composed of avian and swine influenza genes. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) veterinarians Juergen Richt, Amy Vincent, Kelly Lager and Phillip Gauger conducted this research with Iowa State University (ISU) visiting scientist Wenjun Ma, ISU veterinarian Bruce Janke and...
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The Pork Checkoff has recommended that all swine farm workers get a flu shot in anticipation of the flu season, which runs from October to May.
Dr. Liz Wagstrom, assistant vice president of science and technology for the Pork Checkoff, said, “Producers and swine farm workers can reduce the risk of bringing the flu to the farm and infecting the pigs they care for by getting a flu shot.”
Influenza viruses can be classified as type A, B and C. Type A influenza can be passed between people...
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Sichuan province in southwestern China has launched a campaign to educate poor, illiterate farmers not to slaughter sick pigs or eat their meat after an outbreak of swine flu hit about 100 villages and killed at least 32 people.
Sichuan, the country's top pork-producing province, has been forced to suspend all exports of chilled and frozen pork from Ziyang city and surrounding Neijiang prefecture to Hong Kong, where there have been 10 infections since 2004.
More than 2 million notices...
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The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives confirmed today that no cases of avian flu had been found among Thai pigs, pointing to strict measures to ensure that the virus did not spread from poultry to other animals.
Speaking in response to the discovery of the H5N1 virus among pigs in Indonesia. Dr. Charal Trinvuthipong, Vice Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives, stressed that Thailand had been carefully monitoring for signs of the disease in pigs, but had not found any instances of...
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The pork industry has stepped up its efforts to help keep Australia free from imported diseases.
Pig industry concerns focus especially on Swine Fever, PRRS, PMWS, foot-and-mouth disease, BSE and Avian influenza.
The pork industry comments about biosecutiry come just as Australia received a wake-up call, when New Zealand was rocked by a foot and mouth outbreak scare last week.
In a series of initiatives, producers are being provided with the skills and resources to minimise the risk...
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Bird flu has infected pigs in Indonesia, the Agriculture Ministry said on Friday, raising fears of a wider outbreak in the world's fourth-most populous country and Southeast Asia's biggest economy.
The ministry conducted tests on pigs after local scientists reported that pigs in several farms on the main island of Java were infected.
"We will continue to take some measures to prevent the avian influenza virus from spreading," said Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono.
"As soon as...
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Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has launched a public consultation exercise on the annual review of its contingency plan for tackling an outbreak of exotic animal disease.
The contingency plan comprises a core generic section with specific annexes relating to each of the diseases covered: Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), Avian Influenza (AI), Newcastle Disease (ND), and Classical Swine Fever (CSF).
A spokesman said that the contingency plan reflected DEFRA's commitment to...
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Instructions for the report of suspected animals with Foreign Animal Diseases (FADs) such as avian influenza, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and foot-and-mouth disease and other reportable conditions are now available to public health veterinarians (PHVs) from USDA's Food Safety & Inspection Service.
FSIS Directive 6000.1 outlines the responsibilities of PHVs associated with identifying and reporting suspected incidences of FADs.
Also included is a "Signs of FADs" list that...
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A former executive of a chemical firm and two others who produced unauthorized drugs to treat pigs produced for food have been arrested on suspicion of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law, police said.
The arrests come in the wake of an incident in which unauthorized chemicals were allegedly given to pigs. The three have generally admitted to the allegations against them.
Arrested were Seiji Shimada, 51, a former executive of the Donan Yakuhin medical company and former head of the...
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Scientists are now learning more about how animals can be hosts for flu viruses. Birds are believed to be a global reservoir of influenza virus genes that make their way to humans.
Since pigs can be infected with both avian and human strains, they may also be a "mixing vessel" in the transmission process.
When bird influenza viruses infect pigs that already contain a swine or human influenza virus, gene segments from each virus can mix and a new influenza subtype virus can emerge....
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