USDA Announces First H5N1 Avian Flu Detection in US Pigs 2024
Federal officials today announced the first detection of H5N1 avian flu in pigs, found on a backyard farm in Oregon where an outbreak was recently reported in poultry.
In a statement from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), officials indicated that the farm is located in Crook County, Oregon, which has a combination of birds and livestock, with a total of five pigs on the farm.. The quarantined location also houses sheep and goats.
When H5N1 emerged in dairy cattle earlier this year, officials expressed concerns about its potential spread to pigs. This is particularly worrisome due to the impact on farming and the food supply, as pigs are known to act as a mixing vessel for zoonotic and human influenza viruses. There is still a lack of clarity regarding whether the pigs suffered from a systemic infection or if the positive nasal swab results were a consequence of farm contamination.
The pigs shared their environment with sick poultry, including water sources, housing, and equipment—factors that are known to enable transmission between species, according to APHIS.
Although the pigs showed no signs of illness, the Oregon Department of Health and the USDA tested the five pigs out of an abundance of caution. The pigs were humanely put down to conduct further diagnostic testing. Test results came back negative for two pigs, while results for the other two are still pending.
“This farm is a non-commercial operation, and the animals were not intended for the commercial food supply. APHIS assured that this discovery does not pose any risk to the safety of the nation’s pork supply.
The virus was confirmed in the backyard flock on October 25.The Oregon Department of Agriculture confirmed the humane euthanasia of 70 birds last week, and the area is still in quarantine.
Initial genetic sequencing has been conducted at the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories. Although the specific genotype was not noted, officials indicated that there are no changes in the H5N1 virus suggesting it has become more transmissible to humans.
The detection of H5N1 in pigs coincides with a recent rise in poultry outbreaks in several western states, occurring alongside wild bird migration along the Pacific Flyway.
The jury is still out on whether the pigs were truly infected. Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), which publishes CIDRAP News, stated that it is not yet clear if the pigs were infected or if their nasal passages were contaminated through environmental exposure. This concern emerged strongly when nasal swabbing during health checks revealed a positive case in a Colorado poultry culler in 2022.
Osterholm emphasized that necropsy examinations will determine if the pigs were truly infected and whether the virus was found deep in their lungs. “We’ll have to wait and see,” he remarked, urging caution in interpreting this new development. He also noted that earlier scientific research suggested that the virus does not easily infect pigs.
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