A small Iowa pig operation has tested positive for pseudorabies, the first case since the disease was eliminated in commercial herds 22 years ago, state and federal officials reported.
Officials traced the Iowa outbreak to Texas, where animals also tested positive. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday, April 30, that the Iowa producer received five affected boars from an outdoor facility in Texas where the animals may have had contact with feral swine.
“Though pseudorabies was eliminated from United States commercial swine herds in 2004, pseudorabies is still found in wild or feral swine populations, which remain a potential threat of exposure for domestic pigs,” the Iowa Department of Agriculture said.
About 100 pigs were destroyed to prevent the disease’s spread, the Iowa agency said. The USDA didn’t report how many animals were destroyed in Texas.
The USDA said it’s working with Texas and Iowa officials to identify any additional potential exposures. The agency said confirmation of the disease was a result of routine testing.
Pseudorabies plagued pig herds in Iowa and elsewhere in the U.S. prior to its eradication. It can kill or stunt the growth of hogs or cause abortions or stillbirths in sows, and it resulted in tens of millions of dollars in losses.
Its reintroduction into two commercial herds is especially concerning in Iowa, the nation’s largest pork producer, but the USDA said the “detection does not pose a risk to consumer health, nor affect the safety of the commercial pork supply.”
“Pseudorabies is a contagious viral disease of livestock and other mammals. However, pigs are the only natural hosts,” the USDA said. “While pseudorabies virus can infect most mammals, humans, horses and birds are considered resistant.”
The agency said the outbreak in the two herds might cause “limited, short-term impacts on exports of U.S. swine or swine genetics.”
“We are moving decisively to eliminate the disease,” Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said in a statement.
The state is working with the USDA, pork industry, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and others in its response.
The state ag department “spent years preparing for these types of animal health events, and we have a strong, capable team in place to respond,” Naig said. “The United States’ pork supply remains safe and secure, and we are committed to protecting animal health.”
Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at deller@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa pseudorabies case found in pig facility. How dangerous is it?
Reporting by Donnelle Eller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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