Swine & U: Influenza A and pigs at the fair

By Diane DeWitte, UMN Extension swine educatorOriginally printed in The LAND - as August 2, 2024, Swine & U column

In late March, USDA APHIS confirmed the H5N1 influenza (Influenza A) virus in dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas. This specific virus had previously devastated poultry as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or “High-Path”. While HPAI is fatal to chickens, turkeys and cats, in dairy cattle it causes reduced milk production with recovery and very few cow deaths. A recent white paper from UMN Extension and the UMN College of Veterinary Medicine notes that dairy cattle testing shows high loads of the virus in raw milk; in addition, nasal swab, lung tissue and urine samples have also tested positive indicating that they may play a role in transmission.

Several human cases of H5 influenza have been officially reported in 2024 and are associated with direct contact with either infected dairy cattle or poultry. At the time of this publication, these cases have been mild with conjunctivitis, respiratory signs, fever, chills, and sore throat reported (CDC Press Releases). Currently, all the people reported to have an H5 influenza virus infection have fully recovered. While cases so far have been mild, influenza researchers have identified changes in the viral genome that may allow the virus to become even more infectious in mammals and perhaps change enough to cause human to human transmission. (Eisfeld et al., Nguyen et al.) ¹

So, what’s this got to do with pigs at the Fair this summer? Because Influenza A is known to change as it circulates, exhibitors should realize that there’s an influenza risk for their pigs. Pig producers are always monitoring and fighting influenza in their animals; this is an additional reminder to be vigilant. Hence these details to be clean, careful and continuous when practicing biosecurity and working with pigs.

BIOSECURITY

A core element of Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA+) education² is biosecurity on the pig premises. Folks who raise pigs want to keep diseases out of their farms, and, if a disease does break out in their herd, to keep it from spreading throughout all the pigs there. To practice ultimate biosecurity, producers, caretakers and exhibitors of pigs are challenged to establish the habit of following specific protocol as they move about the farm.

• Limit visitors and vehicle traffic to only those who have a reason to be there; Never allow unsupervised visitors
• Ask all non-farm workers and visitors to sign the farm visitor log.
• Require downtime away from pigs or pig facilities, including harvest plants, livestock markets, and exhibitions.
• Create a barrier to disease entry including showering in/out, washing hands, changing to dedicated farm clothing, coveralls and footwear, and/or wearing disposable coveralls and footwear.
• Avoid taking food into animal areas.
• Isolate new or returning animals to the farm
• Temporarily isolate all incoming pigs separate from the animals already on the farm.
• The ultimate isolation situation would be a quarantine facility that is separate or remote from the existing herd.
• Recommended isolation times range from 14-30 days to ensure that the new or returning pigs can be watched for signs of disease.
• When conducting daily chores, take care of the isolated pigs last; use the isolation period as a time to observe and test for diseases and to vaccinate and acclimate new animals.
• Clean, disinfect and dry facilities and equipment
• Thorough cleaning requires removal of all bedding and manure, washing with hot water (preferred) and an appropriate detergent formulated for livestock use
• Facilities should be cleaned and disinfected between populations of pigs.
• All equipment that touches pigs should be cleaned and disinfected after use. This includes sorting boards, floor mats, and any show equipment that has been used.
• Disinfectants should be used only after cleaning and applied according to label instructions
• Facilities and equipment should be allowed to dry after cleaning and disinfection. Drying can occur either by direct sunlight, passage of time, or use of an additional heat source.
• Control movement of wildlife, rodents, pet, and other pests
• Keep the family dogs and cats away from the pigs; it’s easy for a free-running pet to bring disease organisms into the barn. Do not rely on cats for rodent control.
• Exclude wildlife from the barn area. Raccoons, opossums, skunks and groundhogs are all attracted to spilled feed, manure and mortalities.
• Control rodents with a systematic and regularly serviced bait program.
• Use fencing, bird netting or other materials to keep birds and other pests out of the barn.
• Dispose of mortalities in a timely and complete manner
• Compost mortalities if possible.
• Use a rendering service if composting isn’t available. Remember that rendering trucks can transmit disease, so establish a way to keep the truck off the farm premises.

Biosecurity is as important on a 4-H swine member’s half-acre as it is on a 2500-sow pig farm. Disease control and awareness materials have been provided for Minnesota 4-H pig exhibitors in the past, and it’s always a good practice to review them.

Biosecurity for Exhibition Swine: https://z.umn.edu/BiosecurityExhibitionSwine

Minnesota swine exhibitors can find specific 4-H pig enrollment, participation and deadline information on the UMN 4-H website here: https://extension.umn.edu/projects-and-more/4-h-swine-project

UMN Extension Educators annually provide 4-H exhibitors with details of how to keep their animals healthy, and how to prevent and reduce the spread of diseases to their 4-H projects. An important practice repeatedly highlighted is washing hands with soap and water. The minimum recommendation is scrubbing hands thoroughly for 20 seconds, or about the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday”.

RECORDKEEPING - VCPR

Pig health is critical, and when a medical condition requires treatment, it’s important that a veterinarian be part of the equation. In PQA+ education, the concept is referred to as having a VCPR---a Veterinarian- Client- Patient Relationship. Within a VCPR, the client is the swine exhibitor, and the patient is the pig. Even a small seasonal “herd” of show pigs benefits from the medical expertise of a veterinarian to help with medical decisions.

Any kind of medical treatment of the pig requires record-keeping. Medical records need to include seven key pieces of information:

1. Date of treatment
2. ID of animal treated
3. Medication administered
4. Amount of medication used
5. Route of administration
6. Who treated the pig
7. Withdrawal time of the medication (prior to harvest). Withdrawal time is the amount of time that has been determined that the medication is out of the pig’s system and the meat is safe for human consumption.

These records must be kept for 12 months following treatment of the pig. If medication is used in the pig’s water, or it is given medicated feed, the record of that treatment is also required to be kept for 12 months.

All these medication practices are in place to ensure that pigs will be kept at optimum health and if they are given medication, their meat will be safe to eat, without worry of drug residue in the carcass.

BACK TO BIOSECURITY

This summer’s local and regional pig shows, and the Minnesota State Fair are terrific places to view livestock competitions and visit with old friends. Exhibitors should watch for any changing health issues in their pigs, including coughing, diarrhea, fever or blisters. If a pig shows any of these signs, contact a veterinarian immediately. Exhibitors should NEVER take a sick pig to the Fair.

Producers visiting the fairs must be diligent about changing clothes and footwear before returning to the pigs at home. Any site where unrelated animals congregate is a place for potential disease pickup. Thorough handwashing during and after a visit to the fair can destroy disease organisms and reduce the chance of taking a disease back home. Don’t be surprised if you hear “Happy Birthday” being sung at the sink!


¹ 2024. Extension advice: Do not exhibit lactating dairy cows at public events through 2024. https://z.umn.edu/H5N1ExhibitionConcerns Armstrong, Cardona, Culhane, Goldsmith & Schuft.

² 2022. PQA+ Education Handbook Version 5, National Pork Board, Des Moines, IA

Diane DeWitte, University of Minnesota Extension Educator –Swine. Diane can be reached at stouf002@umn.edu