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Small Pests, Bigger Threats: Flies and Gnats Spread Swine Rotaviruses and Sapovirus

Annoying. Bothersome. Irritating. Inconvenience. Pest. No matter how you describe Musca domestica, aka the house fly, and its friend the gnat, one thing's for sure - they are a nuisance and pose a threat to your swine herd.

Everyone knows the small stature of flies and gnats and their ability to fly allows them to easily enter and exit barns and vehicles while bringing with them viral, bacterial and parasitic pathogens. For the first time ever, a study led by Allison Knox of the Walcott Veterinary Clinic in Walcott, Iowa, shows the ability of house flies and gnats to transmit rotavirus and sapovirus in swine nurseries.

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Swine Biosecurity: Dr. Gisele Ravagnani on Preventing Disease Before It Starts | WPX 2026

Video: Swine Biosecurity: Dr. Gisele Ravagnani on Preventing Disease Before It Starts | WPX 2026

At World Pork Expo 2026, Swine Web speaks with Dr. Gisele Ravagnani of LANXESS about strengthening on-farm biosecurity. The discussion covers where protocols most often break down, reducing biosecurity fatigue through simple, repeatable practices, and how digital monitoring and connected technologies are helping producers reduce disease risk before it reaches the barn.