Abstract: Shortening Duration of Swine Exhibitions to Reduce Risk for Zoonotic Transmission of Influenza A Virus

Sep 23, 2022

Reducing zoonotic influenza A virus (IAV) risk in the United States necessitates mitigation of IAV in exhibition swine. We evaluated the effectiveness of shortening swine exhibitions to <72 hours to reduce IAV risk. We longitudinally sampled every pig daily for the full duration of 16 county fairs during 2014-2015 (39,768 nasal wipes from 6,768 pigs). In addition, we estimated IAV prevalence at 195 fairs during 2018-2019 to test the hypothesis that <72-hour swine exhibitions would have lower IAV prevalence. In both studies, we found that shortening duration drastically reduces IAV prevalence in exhibition swine at county fairs. Reduction of viral load in the barn within a county fair is critical to reduce the risk for interspecies IAV transmission and pandemic potential. Therefore, we encourage fair organizers to shorten swine shows to protect the health of both animals and humans.

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Video: ASF Spread and Control Insights - Dr. Carles Vilalta

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Carles Vilalta, epidemiologist at IRTA CReSA in Spain, explains the current African swine fever situation, including origin, transmission, and control strategies. He highlights the role of human activity, wild boar dynamics, and biosecurity measures to protect commercial farms. Learn how surveillance and field actions shape disease containment. Listen now on all major platforms!

"ASF demonstrates slow animal to animal transmission despite high infectivity, making it a clumsy disease that depends heavily on human mediated spread."

Meet the guest: Dr. Carles Vilalta / carlesvilalta is an epidemiologist, swine veterinarian, and researcher at IRTA-CReSA in Spain. His work focuses on epidemiology, swine health, disease surveillance, and research support for government and industry programs. Learn more from Dr. Carles Vilalta on The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, available on all major platforms.