Iowa State University researchers are focusing on how best to identify foreign animal diseases at low prevalence in large commercial pens using oral fluid samples.

October 22, 2019

3 Min Read
FFAR, National Pork Board fund African swine fever research teams
Early detection of pigs with symptoms of African swine fever is crucial. Piling can occur when pigs have a fever, a common symptom of ASF.Plum Island Animal Disease Center

To help keep the U.S. African swine fever-free and protect the country’s pigs, the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and the National Pork Board have awarded $535,780 to research teams at Kansas State University and Iowa State University to study how the ASF virus survives and how to test pigs for the virus.

The ASF virus has existed in Africa for decades. However, the virus is spreading due to changing production practices and increasing globalization. The virus first entered China in August 2018 and is now quickly infecting swine herds across the globe. ASF has also been reported in Europe. The current state of the ASF virus spreading and concerns that it could enter North America increases risk for pig farming, specifically the U.S., which produces 125 million pigs annually.

To date, a vaccine or treatment for the virus has yet to be developed although research is underway. Farmers are focused on ways to prevent the virus from entering the U.S. as losses would be staggering not only for the pork industry, but for other agriculture commodities as well. 

“We remain committed to investing Pork Checkoff funds in strategic ways, such as this collaboration to find new ways to protect our domestic swine herd from foreign animal disease threats,” says David Newman, NPB president and a producer representing Arkansas. “Understanding how African swine fever survives can help us create better techniques for controlling the spread of this costly virus and reduce the odds of a domestic outbreak.”

Even though ASF does not affect human health, it threatens the $20 billion U.S. swine industry and the 550,000 American jobs created by the industry. To date, only limited research funding is available, which is why FFAR and the NPB are collaborating on funding research projects to diagnose and manage an ASF outbreak in the U.S.

Research funded in this collaboration includes studies by Kansas State University and Iowa State University. Kansas State University researchers seek to understand how the ASF virus survives and continues to infect other animals in various environments. If scientists understand how the disease spreads, they will be better able to control, or even stop, the spread of this virus. Additional work at Kansas State University is developing tests to detect ASF virus. A third project is creating diagnostic test to quickly test entire herds for ASF.

Iowa State University researchers are focusing on how best to identify foreign animal diseases at low prevalence in large commercial pens using oral fluid samples. This test allows farmers to string a rope in the pen, the pigs will naturally chew on the rope and then the rope can be tested to detect for traces of targeted viruses.

“There is no time to waste. We must work quickly, and through partnership with the National Pork Board, to drive solutions pork producers can use to detect and manage infected animals if the virus reaches the U.S. This research may be the key to dramatically reducing any potential spread of African swine fever,” says Sally Rockey, FFAR executive director. “U.S. pork producers are already coping with uncertainty across the entire sector and an outbreak of African swine fever would devastate American farmers, who are already struggling.”

FFAR’s grant is being matched by funding from NPB, Cargill, Kemin, Purina Animal Nutrition and Kansas State University for a total investment of $535,780.

Source: Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, who is solely responsible for the information provided, and wholly owns the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.

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