Pseudorabies Confirmed in Iowa and Texas

The Swine Health Information Center, along with our US pork industry partners the National Pork Producers Council, National Pork Board, and American Association of Swine Veterinarians, are closely monitoring newly confirmed cases of pseudorabies in swine herds in Iowa and Texas.

According to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the detection involves a limited number of animals tied to a known risk factor—exposure to feral swine. In a press release, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship wrote, “The small commercial swine facility in Iowa received swine from the Texas herd in recent months. The Texas herd was housed outdoors with potential contact to feral swine. Though pseudorabies was eliminated from United States commercial swine herds in 2004, pseudorabies is still found in wild or feral swine populations, which remain a potential threat of exposure for domestic pigs.”

Federal and state animal health officials have acted quickly to contain the situation, including the depopulation of affected animals and the establishment of surveillance zones.

NPPC’s CEO Bryan Humphreys said, “We can say with confidence that consumers can continue eating and enjoying US pork products and that our pork supply remains safe thanks to the biosecurity protocols that are already in place. The officials in Iowa and Texas are administering the safety response protocols that we’ve talked about and put in place the last 20 years to ensure a rapid, effective disease response plan.”

Outdoor or transitional herds with potential exposure to wild pigs carry increased risk, and NPPC Director of Animal Health Dr. Anna Forseth noted that since PRV eradication, “We have seen an occasional case pop-up in non-commercial herds that have access to feral swine.”

SHIC emphasizes that it remains safe to eat pork, as pseudorabies does not present a food safety concern. In addition, this detection is not considered a risk to human health. 

The Swine Health Information Center, launched in 2015 with Pork Checkoff funding, protects and enhances the health of the US swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats through preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data, and targeted research investments. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. For more information, visit http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Megan Niederwerder at [email protected] or Dr. Lisa Becton at [email protected].