Swine Innovation Porc (SIP) on March 18 said it will provide up to $150,000 for a three-year research project led by Dongyan Xu Niu, a microbiologist and associate professor in the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine.

Niu’s project will look at a new and different way to fight Streptococcus suis, a bacteria well known to cause respiratory infections, meningitis and sudden deaths in piglets after weaning.

WHY IT MATTERS: Canada’s hog farmers are mindful of over-reliance on antibiotics and could benefit from another way to keep S. suis in check.

The Calgary researchers plan to engineer beneficial lactobacillus bacteria to deliver enzymes that can specifically target and break down the S. suis pathogen, SIP said.

The team plans to identify and optimize these enzymes, integrate them into lactobacillus strains and then evaluate their ability to protect piglets from infection.

S. suis bacteria are endemic to Canada, colonizing most hog barns and spreading through contact with healthy carrier pigs after weaning, when antibodies from mother sows are unavailable to piglets. The bacteria are also known to be zoonotic, meaning they can cause severe infections in people who’ve had close contact with infected pigs.

“Strategic research investments like this help ensure Canadian producers have access to innovative tools and solutions to address priority health challenges in the barn,” SIP chair Mark Ferguson said in a release.

The funding for Niu’s project comes via SIP’s Advancing Swine Research Call for Proposals, which backs one- to three-year projects and runs until 2028. SIP said its support for this project is expected to mobilize up to $419,580 in total funding for it.

The U of Calgary project “reflects the type of collaborative, forward-looking research we aim to support” through the call for proposals, SIP general manager Daniel Ramage said in the same release.

The post Research recruits beneficial bacteria against Strep suis in piglets appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

“The spread, prevalence and impact of infectious animal diseases is changing, bringing new challenges for agriculture and food security, human health and development, and natural ecosystems,” said Dr. Emmanuelle Soubeyran, Director General of WOAH in a news release.

“Alongside other measures, vaccination remains one of the most powerful disease prevention tools available, saving countless lives, preventing economic losses and reducing the need for antimicrobial treatments,” Soubeyran added.

The ability to track, analyze and act on animal health trends is a must for mitigating disease outbreaks, keeping livestock production sustainable and maintaining biodiversity, says the State of World’s Animal Health 2025 report released May 23 ahead of WOAH’s 92nd General Session in Paris.

The report emphasized the importance of disease prevention for reducing the need for antibiotic treatment and limiting the development of drug-resistant diseases.

Climate change and increased trade were cited as factors influencing the spread and prevalence of animal diseases. Many diseases are preventable through a combination of vaccination, improved hygiene and biosecurity measures, but the report said access to animal vaccines remains uneven around the world.

Progress and setbacks in 2025

This year, several regions have seen significant disease outbreaks that required urgent intervention.

Climate change, international trade and evolving pathogen dynamics influenced disease distribution and severity, reinforcing the importance of robust surveillance and early warning systems, said WOAH.

Regional disparities in animal health remain a key concern, as gaps in veterinary infrastructure and disease-monitoring capabilities create vulnerabilities in certain parts of the world.

Foot and mouth disease

During the reporting period of 2024 into the first part of 2025, 18 countries reported a total of 216 foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks to the World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS). That included 29 exceptional epidemiological events, e.g. the first occurence of a new disease strain, a sudden change in distribution of a disease, or the first instance of a disease in a country or zone.

At the time of this report’s publication, 180 FMD outbreaks linked to 19 exceptional epidemiological events remained ongoing globally.

African swine fever

African swine fever (ASF) expanded its geographical range significantly, making control and eradication increasingly challenging. Despite these obstacles, global control of ASF remains possible with sustained efforts and international co-operation, said WOAH.

For 2024, WOAH received 68 immediate notifications from 16 countries and territories, reporting a total of 6,807 outbreaks. These outbreaks resulted in 195,191 reported cases, with 222,174 animal losses in domestic pigs.

Given the global impact of ASF on the pig industry and wildlife, development of ASF vaccines has become a priority. Recent advancements in modified live vaccines have provided hope for controlling ASF. However, WOAH cautioned against the use of substandard vaccines, as they may not provide effective protection and could worsen the spread of disease.

Avian influenza

For 2024, 42 countries or territories reported new outbreaks of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), or bird flu, in poultry, while 55 countries or territories reported new outbreaks in non-poultry, including wild birds and mammals.

A total of 943 outbreaks were reported in poultry, alongside 2,570 outbreaks in non-poultry species, including 1,548 outbreaks in wild birds and 1,022 outbreaks in mammals. The reported figures included 6.18 million poultry cases and 82.1 million poultry losses. Wild birds accounted for 11,866 cases, and mammals had 325 reported cases.

As of the New Year, 19 countries had self-declared freedom from HPAI in poultry. Two countries reported HPAI-free zones and three countries declaring HPAI-free compartments.

A notable development in 2024 was the increase in HPAI outbreaks in mammals. Following the first report of HPAI in dairy cattle in the U.S. in March 2024, the number of outbreaks in mammals significantly increased. In total, 1,022 outbreaks in mammals were recorded, compared to 459 outbreaks in 2023. Among these, 926 outbreaks occurred in cattle in the U.S.

HPAI’s global spread has hit areas previously unaffected by the disease, including Latin America and Antarctica. This spread marks a serious concern for experts.

WOAH urged member nations to maintain vigilance in surveillance and biosecurity, and to adopt preventive strategies at the farm level.

WOAH emphasized safeguarding people in close contact with infected animals and advised against unjustified trade restrictions.

Peste des Petits Ruminants

Between January 2024 and April 2025, a total of 165 peste des petits ruminants (PPR) outbreaks were reported to WAHIS by nine countries.

Due to the highly contagious and transboundary nature of PPR, the disease is said to pose a persistent threat to small ruminant populations across regions with shared borders and livestock trade routes. Uncontrolled animal movements, porous frontiers and informal trade networks facilitate the rapid spread of the virus across national boundaries, particularly in areas with limited veterinary infrastructure, said WOAH.

Lumpy skin disease

During the period under study, 319 lumpy skin disease outbreaks were reported to WAHIS from 11 countries. The disease was detected for the first time in northern Africa and Japan. It also reoccurred in Eastern and Southern Asia.

Bluetongue virus

Bluetongue is a viral disease that affects ruminants like sheep, cattle and goats, spread by tiny biting midges. Once mostly confined to tropical and subtropical areas, it has steadily made its way into the Mediterranean basin and parts of Southern Europe since the late 1990s. While it poses no risk to human health, its impact on animals can be devastating, particularly for sheep. The disease not only leads to high mortality and reduced milk production but also disrupts trade and burdens farmers with costly control measures.

New World screwworm

New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) is an endemic disease in certain Caribbean and South American countries, with Chile being the only exception where it was last reported in 1947. The disease was eradicated in Central America in the early 2000s, the United States in the 1960s, and Mexico in the 1970s.

During the reporting period, 8,363 outbreaks were reported to WAHIS by seven countries, involving 13 exceptional epidemiological events. The disease was detected for the first time in Mexico in December 2024, while it reoccurred in Nicaragua, which accounted for over 60 per cent of the reported outbreaks. Other affected countries included Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

During the reporting period, a total of 3,626 bluetongue outbreaks were reported to WAHIS by 24 countries, involving 58 exceptional epidemiological events. In Europe, serotype 3 caused outbreaks in several countries, including Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Serotype 12 was reported for the first time in the Netherlands while serotype 8 was reported for the first time in Portugal and North Macedonia.

The post Changing spread, prevalence of animal diseases causes new challenges for food, agriculture appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Foot-and-mouth disease causes fever and mouth blisters in cloven-hoofed ruminants such as cattle, swine, sheep and goats.

Measures to contain the highly infectious disease, which poses no danger to humans though they can transmit it, are being implemented, and the affected animals have already been euthanized, said local authorities.

An exclusion zone of three kilometres and a monitoring zone of 10 kilometres have been set up, and no more products or animals may be taken out of these zones, said a federal agricultural ministry spokesperson at a regular government news conference.

Local authorities are investigating how the animals became infected, but there are no plans for measures at the federal or international level, the spokesperson added.

Germany and the European Union are officially recognised as being free of the disease. The last cases in Germany occurred in 1988, according to the FLI animal health research institute.

The FLI said the disease occurs regularly in the Middle East and Africa, in many Asian countries and in parts of South America. Illegally imported animal products from these countries pose a threat to European agriculture, it said.

— Reporting by Miranda Murray and Friederike Heine

The post Germany confirms first case of foot-and-mouth disease in nearly 40 years appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Globally, COVID killed over seven million. Where it came from is still debated by scientists, but probably from a Wuhan fish market in China and probably from eating an exotic species (bat?) that harboured the virus. Then sick people got on an airplane. The rest is history.

Sparring in scientific circles is relentless. Meanwhile, people still get sick. Mutation, adaptation and ineffective vaccination only help new strains evolve.

COVID became highly political very quickly. Discussions about simple things such as bed shortages in hospitals and the need for equipment and protective clothing consumed huge amounts of resources. Finding ways to equitably distribute needed medical supplies remained acute throughout. First responders were quickly overwhelmed. Discussion over the use of unapproved drugs to treat COVID flooded the media, including boastful remarks by then-president Trump, which added nothing constructive to the crisis.

I often wonder how countries would respond to a concurrent foot-and-mouth outbreak and if the swine and beef industry could survive. Always in the background: memories of the Spanish flu that killed an estimated 50 million people, or the carnage of the Black Death that killed somewhere between 75 and 200 million, enough to change the population dynamics of the world at the time.

African swine fever did raise its ugly head and caused severe shortages of pork in China, a primary staple for many.

Then in late March, influenza was diagnosed in a wide swath of dairy cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico and Idaho, igniting concern. The situation is described as rapidly evolving. At time of writing in early April, one human had been involved, indicating possible transmission from animals to humans. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service published a paper on “frequently asked questions,” and I have tried to capture key points they made:

• Wild migratory birds are a likely source of infection (pigeons, blackbirds, grackles).
• A herd of baby goats in Michigan affected, suggesting other species could be involved.
• Transmission between cattle cannot be ruled out.

Initial testing indicates the virus has not changed, suggesting transmission to humans probably through direct contact with infected cattle.

Tests to date show the virus involved is H5N1, the same strain circulating among wild birds and commercial flocks.

Clinical symptoms include: fever, decreased production, off feed, consistency of milk changes resembling colostrum. Increased mortality has not been reported.

Although a significant percentage of cull dairy cows flow into beef markets, the USDA remains confident the meat supply is safe. Cooking kills the virus, as does pasteurization. Consumers are discouraged from drinking raw or unpasteurized milk.

A paper published by the Indian Journal of Medical Research in March 2021 reminded the world that the global increase in human-animal interactions and mixing of different species of animals in human-dense markets facilitates the emergence of novel viral diseases. Examples include severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), avian influenza A/H7N9 and H5N1, Middle East respiratory syndrome, Nipah virus disease, Ebola hemorrhagic fever and influenza A (H1N1). The paper is titled Increased human-animal interface and emerging zoonotic diseases: An enigma requiring multi-sectoral efforts to address.

COVID now joins the list of other massive outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics causing profound losses of human life and health, as well as economic damage. The COVID pandemic had affected more than 200 countries, with two per cent mortality, as of May 26, 2021. This highlighted the importance of reducing human-animal interactions to prevent such zoonoses. Rapid deforestation and shrinking boundaries between humans and animals create a crisis for natural habitation, increasing demands for wildlife products and extinction threats. Biodiversity loss compounds human-animal contact conflict. Large quantities of animal waste generated by animal agriculture amplify dissemination of zoonotic pathogens and facilitate zoonotic pathogen adaptation.

Public health systems face challenges containing epidemics due to inadequate understanding, poor preparedness and the lack of “One Health” approaches in surveillance and control strategies. Political commitment to build and sustain health-related programs is always guarded and slow to develop when needed. Because management measures are beyond the purview of health systems alone, policy adaptation in the face of pandemics is sluggish. The engagement of multiple stakeholders towards wildlife protection, land use, community understanding of agriculture needs, resource management and the concept of One Health is slow.

In 2001, the U.K. experienced the most serious epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease ever to occur in a previously foot-and-mouth disease-free country. Almost from the start, foot-and-mouth became widespread, with outbreaks from the north to the south of England, in southwest Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Between mid-February and the end of September over 2,000 outbreaks were recorded in Great Britain and four in Northern Ireland. Cumbria in Northwest England represented the epicentre. An additional 1,934 farms were subject to complete or partial animal slaughter. There were restrictions on public access, disruption to tourism and outdoor recreation. Some public services were badly disrupted. The entire eradication process faced sharp criticism. There were many lessons to learn and document. All this, without consideration of a concurrent secondary pandemic of human or animal origin — something that must become a part of strategic planning in the future.

In the October 2020 issue of Frontiers of Veterinary Science, the paper Emerging Zoonotic Diseases: Should We Rethink the Animal Human Interface suggests due to the human-related nature of zoonotic disease, disease control strategies must be considered at a global level. That means including disease surveillance, animal welfare, population growth, trade, travel and the effect of livestock rearing. Without substantial change, humanity it seems is headed toward an irreversible global crisis.

Dr. Ron Clarke prepares this column on behalf of the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners. Suggestions for future articles can be sent to Canadian Cattlemen (lisa.guenther@fbcpublishing.com) or WCABP (info@wcabp.com).

The post Have we learned anything about controlling zoonotics from COVID? appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

The affected dairy operation recently imported cattle from a state that has identified cases of HPAI in cattle.

The announcement comes on the heels of news that dairy cows in Michigan had also tested positive. On March 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture also announced that a Michigan dairy herd that had recently received cattle from Texas was now detecting avian influenza.

The virus had been uncovered in late March in Texas, Kansas and New Mexico dairy herds.

In a news release, IDSA suggested the virus may have been transmitted from cow to cow. Previous updates said the dairy cases popping up in the U.S. were likely contracted via migratory birds.

The USDA was still flagging wild birds as the likely vector for the Michigan cases March 29, but also said that “Spread of symptoms among the Michigan herd also indicates that HPAI transmission between cattle cannot be ruled out.

“USDA and partners continue to monitor this closely and have advised veterinarians and producers to practice good biosecurity, test animals before necessary movements, minimize animal movements, and isolate sick cattle from the herd. Among the dairies whose herds are exhibiting symptoms, the affected animals have recovered after isolation with little to no associated mortality reported.”

In a recent interview, University of Guelph veterinary professor Shayan Sharif expressed concern over cow-to-cow infection developing.

“I’m hoping that there is no sustained transmission of the virus between cows, because if that happens, then it means that the virus has indeed adapted itself to cattle,” he said.

On March 28, Alberta Milk released a statement noting that HPAI hadn’t been found in Canadian cattle to date. As HPAI is carried by migrating wild birds, Canadian dairy producers are being advised to boost precautionary measures, such as reducing access to any areas that may attract waterfowl.

“It is important to be extra cognizant of introducing pathogens from the wild onto a farm,” Alberta Milk said, warning producers to avoid entering a barn with any footwear worn off the farm and to limit access for any staff that have been to the U.S.

Furthermore, they reminded producers that all milk needs to be pasteurized before consumption.

“Milk sold in Canada remains safe to consume as long as it comes from healthy cows and is pasteurized,” they said.

HPAI is a zoonotic virus. It is not yet understood how it transferred from birds to cattle, but the potential for transferring from animals to humans cannot be ruled out.

The post Dairy bird flu cases creep closer to Canada appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

In a March 28 release, the producer group said Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) has been working closely with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) as the situation develops.

It also offered new updates on the virus, which has been found in some Texas, Kansas and New Mexico dairy herds. These include:

• HPAI has not been found in cattle in Canada to date
• The HPAI virus is carried by wild birds, most notably waterfowl such as geese and ducks
• These birds are currently migrating towards Canada, but it is not yet known if the virus has been carried here
• HPAI is a zoonotic virus. It is not yet understood how it transferred from birds to cattle, but the potential for transferring from animals to humans cannot be ruled out
• It is recommended that, in addition to everyday biosecurity measures, farmers take further precautions on their farms by reducing access to any areas that may attract waterfowl such as loose feed, nesting grounds or wetland bird boxes
• If you find a dead bird on your property, do not handle it. Contact the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative
• It is important to be extra cognizant of introducing pathogens from the wild onto a farm. Make sure not to enter barns wearing boots that were worn off the farm. Limit access to people who have been in sensitive areas (especially the U.S.)
• It is not yet known how long it will take for symptoms to appear in affected animals
• If you detect symptoms in your herd, contact your herd vet immediately. They will then reach out to the CFIA if necessary
• If your animals become infected, remove these sick cows from your milk supply while supportive treatment is provided by your veterinarian
• In order to further reduce risks of transmission, all milk should be pasteurized before consumption as required by Canadian regulations
• Milk sold in Canada remains safe to consume as long as it comes from healthy cows and is pasteurized.

Dairy producers with affected cows are reporting high morbidity with rapid onset, especially in lactating cows, said Alberta Milk. Clinical signs include decreased milk production, including a sudden drop in production. Some severely impacted cows experience thicker, colostrum-like milk.

Affected animals also experienced decreased feed consumption with a simultaneous drop in rumen motility; abnormally tacky or loose feces and fever.

Producers with impacted herds have reported older cows in mid-lactation may be more likely to be severely impacted than younger cows and fresh cows or heifers.

The disease was previously identified as Texas Agalactiae Syndrome according to a March 25 release from Alberta Milk.

The post Dairy farms urged to take precautions against bird flu appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Of more immediate concern is evidence the disease, once largely confined to bird species, appears to be spreading between mammals. This strain has already killed a handful of dolphins in Chile and Peru, some 50,000 seals and sea lions along the coasts, and at least half a million birds regionwide.

To confirm mammal-to-mammal transmission, scientists would likely need to test infections in live animals.

“It’s almost certainly happened,” said Richard Webby, a virologist at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. “It’s pretty hard to explain some of these large infections and die off without having mammal-to-mammal spread.”

The strain has shown up in dozens of bird species, including some migrating species, which can spread it beyond the region, scientists told Reuters.

As climate change escalates, animals will be forced to move into new territories, mixing with one another in new ways and possibly boosting opportunities for the virus to further mutate.

“It’s a matter of time before you will detect the first South American strain in North America,” said Alonzo Alfaro-Nunez, a viral ecologist at University of Copenhagen.

Human risk

The growing concern has prompted the 35 countries in the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to convene regional health experts and officials at a meeting this week in Rio de Janeiro.

The group plans to launch the world’s first regional commission to oversee bird flu monitoring and response efforts, a PAHO official told Reuters. This has not been previously reported.

Since the virus was first detected in Colombia in October 2022, there have been two known cases in humans on the continent, one each in Ecuador and Chile. Both came from exposure to infected birds.

While those patients survived, H5N1 bird flu is deadly to humans in roughly 60 per cent of cases worldwide.

The World Health Organization is unlikely to raise the risk level for humans from the current “low” without evidence of human-to-human transmission or mutations adapted to human receptors, experts said.

Drugmakers, including GSK and Moderna, have said they are developing bird flu vaccines for humans, and have the capacity to produce hundreds of million so doses within months utilizing production lines used for seasonal flu vaccines.

“We’re seeing (the virus) doing little evolutionary steps that are on the long-term moving towards a potential human infection,” said Ralph Vanstreels, a University of California, Davis researcher studying South American variants of H5N1.

Every year, Argentina’s Peninsula Valdes on the windswept Atlantic coast teems with densely packed elephant seals rearing pups.

Last November, Vanstreels came across a grim scene: hundreds of dead and rotting pups on the beach. Researchers estimate 17,400 pups died, nearly all born to the colony that year.

For each of those pups to have been infected by birds is highly unlikely, scientists said. Pups usually have contact only with their mothers, leading scientists to suspect this is how it spread.

Vanstreels is part of a group of scientists working to trace the virus’ genetic mutations in South America.

In a draft paper posted on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, they analyzed samples from sea lions, seals and birds from up the coast from Peninsula Valdes. Comparing the genomes from these samples with those collected in North America in 2022 and Asia earlier, the team identified nine new mutations.

The same mutations were found in samples collected in 2022 and 2023 in Chile and Peru, which were also hit by mass mortality of sea lions and birds.

“This is the first time this virus is so adapted to wildlife,” Vanstreels said. “Clearly something happened in Peru and in northern Chile where they acquired these new mutations.”

In the draft paper, researchers noted that the same mutations were present in one of the continent’s two human cases, a 53-year-old man who lived one block from the seashore where seabirds congregated.

Researchers said that case “highlights the potential threat posed by these viruses to public health.”

Regional response

With health officials and experts meeting in Rio this week, Latin American countries will be pressed to boost disease surveillance in the wild.

The region’s patchy data and limited resources has left scientists struggling to understand how the disease is spreading in the wild, with the number of cases likely much higher than reported. Some cases are not being sampled or lab-tested, scientists said.

Bolivia, for example, did not register a case in the wild last year, though the disease has been detected in surrounding countries, said Manuel Jose Sanchez Vazquez, epidemiology coordinator for PAHO’s veterinary health center.

Managing the disease response can also be complex, Sanchez noted. Threats to humans are dealt with by public health officials, while threats to poultry or livestock fall to agriculture or veterinary authorities. In wild animals, the purview typically falls to environmental officials.

The new regional commission, expected to be announced on Thursday, would aim to set standard protocols for monitoring, handling and reporting cases among various government agencies. It could also help in pooling laboratory resources, Sanchez said.

“We are worried and we are vigilant,” Sanchez said. “The more adaptation of the virus to mammals, the more likely it is that transmission to humans could happen.”

The post Bird flu strain raises alarm as virus kills South American wildlife appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

The USDA has found bird flu in eight American commercial flocks and 14 backyard flocks so far this year, affecting 530,000 poultry, according to agency data.

More than 81 million U.S. poultry and aquatic birds have been killed by avian flu across 47 states since January 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We are probably 18 months or so away from being able to identify a vaccine that would be effective for this particular (avian flu) that we’re dealing with now,” Vilsack said at a Congressional hearing.

USDA plans to discuss poultry vaccinations with trading partners, amid concerns that other countries could restrict imports of vaccinated U.S. poultry, Vilsack said.

The World Organization for Animal Health in May said governments should consider bird flu vaccinations for poultry to prevent the spread of the virus from turning into a pandemic.

The U.S. government said last year that a decision by France to vaccinate ducks against avian flu will trigger restrictions on imports of French poultry.

The post US is ’18 months or so’ away from finding bird flu vaccine, says agriculture secretary appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Wild pigs continue to expand out of control in Canada. We’ll also dive into the really bad decisions agriculture producers made in the 1980s that spun themselves into trouble that offers no apparent escape.

Initially, wild pigs were looked upon as a viable alternative. By the ’90s, the idea that wild boar could help underpin a fickle pork market, supplemented by hunting enterprises, had fallen flat. Rather than looking at what happened in Texas, California and Florida, many disgruntled producers cut fences and turned approximately 30,000 wild hogs loose — a crass and irresponsible response and why wild pigs are now found in all Canadian provinces. Feral hogs have established themselves across all continents except Antarctica. In Canada, wild pigs are primarily found in the prairie provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and especially Saskatchewan.

The effects feral hogs have seem never-ending. First, there are disease issues. Feral hogs can potentially spread diseases such as African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease. They are highly susceptible to both. Should feral hogs become infected by either disease, the risk of transmission to domestic livestock is real. The complexity of control, if either African swine fever or foot-and-mouth became established in wild herds, would make regaining freedom from disease Herculean.

A good friend who worked as a pathologist in the New Mexico Animal Health Laboratory system told me about feral hogs spreading pseudorabies (Aujeszky’s disease) into feedlots when scrounging for undigested corn in feces. Small lacerations around the heifers’ vulvas became portals of entry for the virus and the development of mad itch and death of feedlot heifers four to six weeks later. To curb disease prevalence, feedlot workers were issued guns and told to kill as many feral hogs as possible, which temporarily dropped the number of pseudorabies cases. But the incidence of pseudorabies increased as the population of feral pigs grew.

On the list of zoonotic diseases feral pigs could transmit to other species, possibly including people, are bovine TB, brucellosis, leptospirosis, enteric pathogens, both Salmonella spp. and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and hepatitis E. Feral swine may be considered a potential reservoir for different endemic diseases affecting domestic pigs. Several serious parasitic diseases are also carried by feral hogs, potentially transmitted during processing or through undercooked pork.

Perhaps the greatest impact attributed to feral hogs is the destruction of forests and crops. By rooting, trampling, wallowing and eating, wild pigs alter ecosystems and nutrient cycles of other species. The dollar value of damage is measured in billions in North America alone.

Biodiversity is negatively affected through competition for food and predation of eggs and the young (e.g. birds, turtles, small amphibians, crabs and snakes). Wild pig activity near water causes erosion and affects quality of drinking water on range used by cattle and other grazers. In areas where feral hogs gather, pig-vehicle collisions cost upwards of $40 million per year, not including damage in urban areas when they invade.

Complete removal of wild pig populations is challenging due to their high reproductive rate and their ability to evade humans. Trapping is a common approach to wild pig removal but involves moving traps regularly as pigs become accustomed to the traps and baits used. Pigs alter habitat use following trapping.

YouTube is a constant source of theatrics and farcical narratives on hunting feral hogs as a means of control. On one end of the scale are three hunters armed with AR15s, hanging out the side of a helicopter and shooting pigs as they scramble across a field. Then there is the sad use of dogs to hunt wild boar, fighting with them until a dog owner can dispatch the quarry by severing the jugular, or the melee of dogs and hunters working bushy areas with hunters indiscriminately shooting pigs as they run into the open. I wonder how many dogs and humans are wounded. The YouTube videos capture shots of trailers full of dead hogs after being trapped and shot; the narrative is ably provided by a local driving a rust-encrusted half-ton.

They claim most of the feral swine are eaten. I only shudder at the idea of choosing tough, boar-tainted meat over high-quality beef. Not to mention that safety and animal welfare — now entrenched as part of the Code of Practice — have been entirely overlooked. c

Dr. Ron Clarke prepares this column on behalf of the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners. Suggestions for future articles can be sent to Canadian Cattlemen or WCABP.

The post Feral hogs — the problem persists appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

A four-year-old boy from central Henan province was found to have been infected with the variant after developing a fever and other symptoms on April 5.

No close contacts were infected with the virus, the National Health Commission said in a statement.

The child had been in contact with chickens and crows raised at his home, it added.

The H3N8 variant has previously been detected elsewhere in the world in horses, dogs, birds and seals but no human cases of H3N8 have been reported, the NHC said.

The commission said an initial assessment determined the variant did not yet have the ability to effectively infect humans, and the risk of a large-scale epidemic was low.

Many different strains of bird flu are present in China and some sporadically infect people, usually those working with poultry.

Last year China reported the first human case of H10N3.

China has huge populations of both farmed and wild birds of many species, creating an ideal environment for avian viruses to mix and mutate.

Growing surveillance of avian influenza in people also means more infections are being picked up.

— Reporting for Reuters by Ella Cao and Dominique Patton; writing by Meg Shen.

The post China reports first human case of H3N8 bird flu appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.