USA: USDA confirms H1N1 in Pigs in Minnesota

[Gert van der Hoek]

Pigs in MN may have tested positive for H1N1


By The Associated Press


WASHINGTON -- Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for the H1N1 virus in a preliminary test, the first potential U.S. cases in swine.

Agriculture Department officials cautioned that further tests were needed to confirm that the pigs had been infected with H1N1. Officials say that the pigs did not exhibit signs of sickness and may have been exposed to a group of children who had contracted the swine flu virus.

Samples from the pigs that may have tested positive were collected at the Minnesota State Fair between Aug. 26 and Sept. 1. USDA officials did not say how many pigs may have tested positive.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says testing is under way and results should be available in a matter of days. He says the USDA is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=826737

 

[Rwilmer]

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Release No. 0513.09
Contact:
Angela Harless (202)285-9765

Printable version
Email this page

USDA CONDUCTING CONFIRMATORY TESTING ON POSSIBLE DETECTION OF 2009 PANDEMIC H1N1 INFLUENZA IN U.S. SWINE

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2009 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories will be conducting confirmatory testing on swine samples collected at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair between August 26 and September 1. The pigs sampled at the time showed no signs of illness and were apparently healthy. The samples collected were part of a University of Iowa and University of Minnesota cooperative agreement research project funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which documents influenza viruses where humans and pigs interact at such as fairs.

"Like people, swine routinely get sick or contract influenza viruses. We currently are testing the Minnesota samples to determine if this is 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza," said Vilsack. "We are working in partnership with CDC as well as our animal and public health colleagues and will continue to provide information as it becomes available."

USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories expects to have confirmatory results within the next few days.


"I want to remind people that people cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products," said Vilsack.

An outbreak of 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza occurred in a group of children housed in a dormitory at the fair at the same time samples were collected from the pigs, but no direct link to the pigs has been made. Information available at this time would suggest the children were not sickened by contact with the fair pigs.


USDA continues to remind U.S. swine producers about the need for good hygiene, biosecurity and other practices that will prevent the introduction and spread of influenza viruses in their herd and encourage them to participate in USDA's swine influenza virus surveillance program. Monitoring and studying these influenza viruses in swine, will help USDA learn about the virus, develop better tools to diagnose and develop new and improved vaccines to protect our U.S swine herds. USDA encourages commercial pork producers to intensify the biosecurity practices that they have in place, particularly during this flu season.

More information about USDA's 2009 pandemic H1N1 efforts is available at www.usda.gov/H1N1flu.

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/10/0513.xml

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

There are 3 sequences for swine influenza in the USA since 1-1-08. They are all H1N1 and from Illinois. Only positions 358 to 558 of the HA was sequenced.

Within that area there are 4 positions in the 2009 pandemic human H1N1 that differ in one human case from Illinois:
I362V, G391E, R419K, & D490N. (there may be offsets I'm not aware of)

Within that area there are 21 positions in the 2008/2009 seasonal human H1N1 that differ in 4 human cases from Illinois.

It's easy to see how the similarities (in pandemic H1N1) might facilitate the exchange of influenza strains between hosts.

.

 

[Treyfish]

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Pigs may have tested positive for H1N1
HENRY C. JACKSON
Associated Press Writer
(AP:WASHINGTON) Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for the H1N1 virus in a preliminary test, the first potential U.S. cases in swine, Agriculture Department officials said Friday.

The officials cautioned that further tests were needed to confirm that the pigs had been infected with H1N1, also known as swine flu virus. The pigs did not exhibit signs of sickness and may have been infected by a group of children with the virus, they said.

Samples from the pigs that may have tested positive were collected at the Minnesota State Fair between Aug. 26 and Sept. 1. USDA officials did not say how many pigs may have tested positive.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement that testing was under way and results should be available in a matter of days. He says the USDA was working with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vilsack said the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories would be conducting tests to confirm the results.

Vilsack asked for caution from consumers and said people should not react to the news by avoiding pork products.

"I want to remind people that people cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products," he said.

Vilsack's caution aside, the news is clearly unwelcome for the pork industry. Producers had been struggling before the H1N1 virus gained public attention. Advocates have worked assiduously to distance the pork industry from the H1N1 virus, but Friday's news once again ties the two.

The potentially positive test was discovered by a CDC research project conducted by the University of Iowa and University of Minnesota, which is documenting instances of influenza viruses where humans and pigs regularly interact, such as state fairs.

In this case, officials said, a group of children staying at dormitory near the Minnesota State Fair contracted the H1N1 virus at the same time that samples were taken from the pigs. However, officials said no direct link between the pigs and the outbreak among the children has been made.USDA officials said that information from late August indicated that the children were not sickened by the pigs.

:tiphat:http://news.ino.com/headlines/?newsid=689666768727480

 

[Rwilmer]

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Wait, the samples were collected aug. 26- sept. 1st and are only now coming back positive. It does not take a month and a half to do testing. Is there something we are missing here????

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

It does not take a month and a half to do testing.

Do you know that to be a fact? I would expect that with all the extra concern these days, their labs may be swamped.

.

 

[Rwilmer]

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Do you know that to be a fact? I would expect that with all the extra concern these days, their labs may be swamped.

.

I didn't think of that. Thank you, Denise. That could be the reason.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

I didn't think of that. Thank you, Denise. That could be the reason.

I HOPE it's the reason......they'd better be watching all that pork supply very closely.

.

 

[Treyfish]

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

<TABLE class=style2><TBODY><TR><TD>Three Pigs at MN State Fair Might Have Had Swine Flu </B></B></TD></TR><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD>10/16/2009</TD></TR><TR height=20><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD>Minnesota officials say they`re waiting for confirmation on whether three pigs at the Minnesota State Fair tested positive for the swine flu virus, which would make them the first U.S. cases of the disease in swine.

In a conference call with reporters Friday, Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson said the three pigs probably were sent to slaughter some time after the fair ended on Labor Day.

But he and other officials stressed there is no danger to human health from the discovery.

They say swine flu is a respiratory disease, not a foodborne illness, and that it can`t be caught from eating pork or pork products because it`s not present in them.

Hugoson says farmers will continue watching their herds for flu symptoms, and inspectors at slaughterhouses will continue to reject any pigs showing disease symptoms.:tiphat:</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=34773

 

[Treyfish]

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Minnesota Pigs Tested for H1N1, May Be First in U.S. (Update1)

Share | Email | Print | A A A



By Whitney McFerron
Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Pigs from the Minnesota state fair are being tested by the government for what may be the first U.S. cases of swine flu among domestic livestock.
Samples were collected from swine at the fair between Aug. 26 and Sept. 1, and the animals showed no signs of the illness at the time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said today in an e-mailed statement. The agency did not say how many pigs may be infected. Results of the test will be completed ?within the next few days,? according to the statement.
?Like people, swine routinely get sick or contract influenza viruses,? Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the statement. ?We currently are testing the Minnesota samples to determine if this is 2009 pandemic H1N1.?
An outbreak of the H1N1 virus occurred among children at the state fair housed in a dormitory during the same time that the samples were collected, the USDA said.
?Information available at this time would suggest the children were not sickened by contact with the fair pigs,? :magnify:the department said.
The USDA and the World Health Organization have said the H1N1 virus is not transmitted through pork. Concern over the illness has eroded pork demand and U.S. exports of the meat.
The National Pork Producers Council, a Washington-based trade organization, said ?strict safeguards? are in place to prevent contamination in U.S. meat supplies.
?All pork found in retail stores and restaurants is inspected to the rigors of USDA standards for wholesomeness, and every pig is inspected to ensure that only healthy pigs enter the food supply,? the agency said today in an e-mailed statement.
Hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange have plunged 25 percent since April 23, when news of the virus began making headlines. China, once the second-largest importer of U.S. pork, blocked shipments following the outbreak. :tiphat:http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aZDNVMNmqyCA

 

[Missouriwatcher]

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

After watching "Food, Inc.", I'm not sure HOW swine (or poultry and beef, for that matter) are staying as healthy as they are. "Rob Kenner?s documentary ?Food, Inc.?? is, in part, concerned with the extent to which industrial food production has replaced farming in America... He has hidden-camera footage of a hog-farm kill floor..." http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/06/19/food_inc_serves_up_righteous_indignation/

 

[Treyfish]

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

H1N1 detected in 3 pigs at Minnesota State Fair
Infection could be first among U.S. animals; experts cite a new concern but say food safe
By Tom Webb
twebb@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 10/16/2009 11:37:11 PM CDT

Three pigs exhibited at the Minnesota State Fair this summer tested positive for the H1N1 virus, a preliminary result Friday that if confirmed would mark the first time the worrisome virus has been found in U.S. animals.

State officials tried to allay concern, saying the spread was expected, given the deep inroads the H1N1 virus has made into the human population. Health officials stressed that human-to-human transmission is the real battleground in the pandemic.

Still, the results spark a new worry ? that the virus could mutate into a more deadly form as it moves between species.

"There's no evidence there's a change in the virus, but that is a concern," said Dr. Joni Scheftel, public health veterinarian with the Minnesota Department of Health.

The H1N1 virus already had been found in swine in Canada, Argentina, Ireland and elsewhere, but not in the United States.

The infected pigs were tested during research in the State Fair's swine barn, between Aug. 26 and Sept. 1. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the animals "showed no signs of illness and were apparently healthy."

State officials suspect the pigs caught the virus from fairgoers, although they can't be sure. The animals each had a different owner and were tested on different days.

Because the tests were confidential, not even the farmers have been notified which animals were infected, said Jeff Bender of the University of Minnesota Center for Animal Health and Food Safety.


The swine research involved the U, the University of Iowa, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, it seems likely the infected animals were sent to slaughter, the typical pattern, said Gene Hugoson, Minnesota's commissioner of agriculture.

When asked whether the public should be concerned about that, Hugoson said: "Not to my way of thinking."

He added, "There is absolutely no food safety risk from eating any kind of pork that has been contaminated with H1N1. ... Any pig that would exhibit any kind of health indications would not be accepted for slaughter."

During the Fair, a group of 4-H students became ill with the H1N1 flu, but the USDA said Friday that "information available at this time would suggest the children were not sickened by contact with the Fair pigs."

The students were mostly involved in the performing arts and ambassador program ? not the livestock programs. Fair officials ordered more than 100 teens to return home early after four of them had confirmed infections and several others reported flu-like symptoms.

The USDA is awaiting confirmation of the Minnesota swine tests and should get results "within the next few days," the department said.

"Like people, swine routinely get sick or contract influenza viruses," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. He, too, noted that the virus couldn't be spread by eating pork.

The new strain of H1N1 has been linked to seven deaths and nearly 500 hospitalizations in Minnesota since it emerged in the spring.

While human health has been the paramount concern during the H1N1 outbreak, the illness's early moniker of "swine flu" has hurt the pork industry. A number of global trading partners have refused to buy U.S. pork products, which has especially hurt Minnesota, the nation's No. 3 pork-producing state. :tiphat:http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_13580019

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

Re: USA: Pigs in Minnesota may have tested positive for H1N1

USDA CONDUCTING CONFIRMATORY TESTING ON POSSIBLE DETECTION OF 2009 PANDEMIC H1N1 INFLUENZA IN U.S. SWINE

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2009 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories will be conducting confirmatory testing on swine samples collected at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair between August 26 and September 1.

The pigs sampled at the time showed no signs of illness and were apparently healthy. The samples collected were part of a University of Iowa and University of Minnesota cooperative agreement research project funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which documents influenza viruses where humans and pigs interact at such as fairs.

"Like people, swine routinely get sick or contract influenza viruses. We currently are testing the Minnesota samples to determine if this is 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza," said Vilsack. "We are working in partnership with CDC as well as our animal and public health colleagues and will continue to provide information as it becomes available."

USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories may have confirmatory results within the next few days.

"I want to remind people that they cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products," said Vilsack.

An outbreak of 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza occurred in a group of children housed in a dormitory at the fair at the same time samples were collected from the pigs, but no direct link to the pigs has been made. Information available at this time would suggest the children were not sickened by contact with the fair pigs.

USDA continues to remind U.S. swine producers about the need for good hygiene, biosecurity and other practices that will prevent the introduction and spread of influenza viruses in their herd and encourage them to participate in USDA's swine influenza virus surveillance program. Monitoring and studying these influenza viruses in swine, will help USDA learn about the virus, develop better tools to diagnose and develop new and improved vaccines to protect our U.S swine herds. USDA encourages commercial pork producers to intensify the biosecurity practices that they have in place, particularly during this flu season.

More information about USDA's 2009 pandemic H1N1 efforts is available at www.usda.gov/H1N1flu.

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/10/0513.xml

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: USA: USDA confirms H1N1 in Pigs in Minnesota

Posted: 11:54 AM Oct 19, 2009

USDA Confirms H1N1 in Minnesota Pigs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says at least one pig from Minnesota has tested positive for the H1N1 virus, the first case of a pig contracting the virus in the United States.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement Monday that USDA officials have begun to reach out to international organizations and are emphasizing that H1N1, also known as swine flu, cannot be contracted by eating pork products.

The USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the presence of H1N1 after an initial test suggested that as many as three pigs may have had the virus.

USDA officials say the infection of a so-called show pig doesn't indicate an infection of commercial herds because show pigs are in separate segments of the swine industry.

http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/64757947.html

 

[Tonka]

Re: USA: USDA confirms H1N1 flu in pigs on display show Minnesota

Re: USA: USDA confirms H1N1 flu in pigs on display show Minnesota

http://mx.reuters.com/article/topNews/idMXN1937684020091019

USDA confirms H1N1 flu in pigs on display show Minnesota
Monday, October 19, 2009 11:39 AM CDT WASHINGTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) -

The influenza pandemic virus H1N1 was confirmed in a sample taken from a pig that was on display at a trade Minnesota, said Monday the Department of agriculture-United States.

Additional checks were being made, said the entity.

The discovery does not suggest the infection of herds of pigs reared for commercial use, because the animals display are separated from the other group, said the USDA.

(Reporting by Christopher Doering and Charles Abbott)



? Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: USA: USDA confirms H1N1 in Pigs in Minnesota

At Least 1 Minnesota Pig Has H1N1 Flu

USDA confirms swine flu in Minnesota pig

Published : Monday, 19 Oct 2009,

MINNEAPOLIS - At least one pig from Minnesota has tested positive for the H1N1 flu virus, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday.

On Friday, the USDA said three pigs in Minnesota had potential cases of swine flu . The pigs were part of a joint study by the University of Minnesota and University of Iowa during the Minnesota State Fair.

In September, several children in the 4H club fell ill with H1N1 at the state fair. Researchers say there’s no evidence linking the human cases to the swine cases. It’s also unknown exactly how the swine contracted H1N1.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement Monday that USDA officials have begun to reach out to international organizations and are emphasizing H1N1 flu cannot be contracted by eating pork products.

"We have fully engaged our trading partners to remind them ... that there is no scientific basis to restrict trade in pork and pork products," Vilsack said. "People cannot get this flu from eating pork or pork products. Pork is safe to eat."

The pork industry is being advised to monitor their herds for signs of illness. Agriculture experts said swine that contract H1N1 usually recover. State health leaders say there is no public health threat as a result of the latest findings

Dr. Jeff Bender with the U of M Center for Animal Health and Food Safety said the positive H1N1 results in swine are not unexpected . Swine have tested positive for the H1N1 virus in other countries.

“That’s the reason why we’re doing this study. We want to look at and identify these viruses, see how they change, see how rapidly they change, how easily they move between species,” said Dr. Bender.

USDA officials also said the infection of a "show pig" doesn't indicate an infection of commercial herds because show pigs are in separate segments of the swine industry.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/mn_pig_h1n1_swine_flu_oct_19_2009

 

[Hogweed]

Re: USA: USDA confirms H1N1 in Pigs in Minnesota

There's commentary from Henry N on this in the usual place.

In summary he points out that the infections were not initially detected by the USDA but by a University project. He says that the failure of the USDA to detect pandemic H1N1 in swine, given that it has been detected in many other countries, suggests either serious surveillance problems or that the data is being withheld.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: USA: USDA confirms H1N1 in Pigs in Minnesota

The pork industry is being advised to monitor their herds for signs of illness.

Pigs can also be asymptomatic carriers, so the advice should be: monitor the herds - whether symptomatic or not.


From University of Michigan:

What is swine influenza?

Swine influenza, or “swine flu”, is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease of pigs, caused by one of several swine influenza A viruses. Morbidity tends to be high and mortality low (1-4%). The virus is spread among pigs by aerosols, direct and indirect contact, and asymptomatic carrier pigs. Outbreaks in pigs occur year round, with an increased incidence in the fall and winter in temperate zones. Many countries routinely vaccinate swine populations against swine influenza.

Swine influenza viruses are most commonly of the H1N1 subtype, but other subtypes are also circulating in pigs (e.g., H1N2, H3N1, H3N2). Pigs can also be infected with avian influenza viruses and human seasonal influenza viruses as well as swine influenza viruses.

The H3N2 swine virus was thought to have been originally introduced into pigs by humans. Sometimes pigs can be infected with more than one virus type at a time, which can allow the genes from these viruses to mix. This can result in an influenza virus containing genes from a number of sources, called a "reassortant" virus. Although swine influenza viruses are normally species specific and only infect pigs, they do sometimes cross the species barrier to cause disease in humans.

http://www.umich.edu/flu-faq.php#pigs

.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: USA: USDA confirms H1N1 in Pigs in Minnesota

At the moment H1N1 in pigs is reported to be widespread in Norway.

Also in other countries H1N1 was found in pigs, like in Argentina, Australia, Northern Ireland, Canada, Indonesia, Singapore. And now H1N1 in pigs in the USA.

Recently in Denmark H3N2 was detected in mink.

One wonders in how many places and countries H1N1 and other influenza subtypes in pigs go undetected and unreported.

Is there another way to monitor possible flu mutations than via mandatory regular surveillance in pigs and other commercial animals? By an independent institution ?

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: USA: USDA confirms H1N1 in Pigs in Minnesota

.........the failure of the USDA to detect pandemic H1N1 in swine, given that it has been detected in many other countries, suggests either serious surveillance problems or that the data is being withheld.

In the past, swine surveillance in countries other than the US was even worse.

Given that poultry flocks are culled when influenza is discovered, WHY is the pork industry receiving different treatment? I would speculate that since avian influenza (H5 & H7) are known to be capable of going to High path, that might be a reason, but I can't help but wonder if the total financial loss to a producer is a factor. They keep pointing out that the meat is safe, as a reason not to cull the herd, but never mention the potential to produce influenza strains deadly to humans as a reason to be concerned. When human researchers want to mix strains, what is required to protect human health?....a bio-3 safety lab!

.