Central Dakota Frontier Cooperative                     
                                  
- DTN Headline News
First US Case Bird Flu Found in Swine
By Todd Neeley
Thursday, October 31, 2024 5:52AM CST

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 06:45 a.m. 10/31/24.

LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN) -- The U.S. has its first confirmed case of bird flu in swine. USDA said Wednesday it was investigating positive cases of H5N1 in a backyard farming operation in Oregon that has a mix of poultry and livestock, including swine.

The USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories reportedly confirmed one case on Oct. 29, 2024, in one of five pigs in a backyard farm in Crook County, Oregon. The Oregon Department of Agriculture announced last week that the county's first case of bird flu was detected in poultry.

"The livestock and poultry on this farm shared water sources, housing, and equipment," the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in a news release.

"In other states, this combination has enabled transmission between species. Although the swine did not display signs of illness, the Oregon Department of Health and USDA tested the five swine for H5N1 out of an abundance of caution and because of the presence of H5N1 in other animals on the premises. The swine were euthanized to facilitate additional diagnostic analysis. Test results were negative for two of the pigs, and test results are still pending for two others."

The Oregon farm is a noncommercial operation with animals not intended for the commercial food supply.

"There is no concern about the safety of the nation's pork supply as a result of this finding," USDA said on Wednesday.

"In addition, the farm has been quarantined to prevent further spread of the virus. Other animals, including sheep and goats on the farm, remain under surveillance."

USDA said its laboratories conducted genomic sequencing of the virus from the poultry infected on the farm, and "that sequencing has not identified any changes to the H5N1 virus that would suggest to USDA and CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) that it is more transmissible to humans, indicating that the current risk to the public remains low."

USDA said it is conducting the investigation along with local and state officials and would provide updates when they become available.

"All detections of H5N1 include viral genome sequencing to provide additional information of interest to medical professionals and the research community to improve our understanding of the virus," USDA said.

"Genetic sequencing for these samples is underway, though sequencing results may be inconclusive due to low viral levels in the samples."

The National Pork Producers Council said on Wednesday that the industry has had a surveillance program in place since 2009 to identify influenza viruses.

"The confirmed case in Oregon poses no threat to consumer health or food safety," said Bryan Humphreys, CEO of the NPPC.

"Properly handled and cooked pork products remain safe for consumption. The entire pork industry remains committed to safeguarding food safety and human and animal health."

NPPC President and Minnesota pork producer Lori Stevermer said the latest case "serves as a reminder for producers of all sizes to understand and address influenza virus risks."

USDA said strong biosecurity is critical to eradicating the virus and protecting the health of farmworkers, farmers and their families, livestock and businesses.

USDA said it continues to "invest heavily" in vaccine research and development as a tool to help stem and potentially stop the spread of this virus among animals.

USDA said it approved two vaccine field safety trials for vaccine candidates designed to protect dairy cows from H5N1 and continues to explore vaccine options for other species.

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @DTNeeley


blog iconDTN Blogs & Forums
Fundamentally Speaking
Joel Karlin
DTN Contributing Analyst
Thursday, October 31, 2024 11:10AM CST
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 10:10AM CST
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 1:37PM CST
DTN Ag Weather Forum
Bryce Anderson
DTN Ag Meteorologist and DTN Analyst
Thursday, October 31, 2024 11:36AM CST
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 10:22AM CST
Friday, October 25, 2024 11:43AM CST
DTN Production Blog
Pam Smith
Crops Technology Editor
Thursday, October 31, 2024 8:48AM CST
Sunday, October 27, 2024 6:01AM CST
Friday, October 25, 2024 1:16PM CST
Harrington's Sort & Cull
John Harrington
DTN Livestock Analyst
Thursday, October 31, 2024 11:36AM CST
Thursday, October 31, 2024 11:36AM CST
Monday, October 28, 2024 3:06PM CST
An Urban’s Rural View
Urban Lehner
Editor Emeritus
Friday, November 1, 2024 1:46PM CST
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 5:25PM CST
Monday, October 14, 2024 8:51AM CST
Canadian Markets
Cliff Jamieson
Canadian Grains Analyst
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 12:37PM CST
Friday, October 25, 2024 1:44PM CST
Friday, October 25, 2024 11:56AM CST
Editor’s Notebook
Greg D. Horstmeier
DTN Editor-in-Chief
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 12:11PM CST
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 12:37PM CST
Monday, September 30, 2024 6:46AM CST
 
Copyright DTN. All rights reserved. Disclaimer.
Powered By DTN