Farms.com Home   News

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.

Click here to see more...

Trending Video

Ontario pig farmer says he's trying to adapt to a 'very uncertain time'

Video: Ontario pig farmer says he's trying to adapt to a 'very uncertain time'

Stewart Skinner, an organic pig farmer in Perth County, Ont., says he started preparing last summer to mitigate the impact of a second Trump presidency, remembering the 'constant feeling of upheaval and anxiety' during his first term.