Symptoms of the virus mimic those of FMDV, including:
- Blisters and sores around the mouth, snout, and/or above the hoof,
- Fevers, lameness, decreased appetite and/or energy,
- And increased reports of piglet mortality with/without diarrhea.
Unknown prior to 2002, there are still quite a few uncertainties in dealing with and treating the virus. The CFIA is currently treating the situation as they would deal with FMDV and SVDV.
In September, a number of Canadian pigs shipped to the U.S. had blister-type lesions, yet tested negative at the packing plant for a foreign animal disease. The CFIA then began its own sampling to diminish any potential threat. This sampling lead the CFIA to positive confirmation of Senecavirus A in Ontario assembly yards.
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Although the virus is not federally reportable, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is refusing any loads of swine that are showing potential symptoms.
Unlike FMDV, Senecavirus A is only transmissible to swine and is of no risk to humans.
Farms across the province have yet to document any cases.
Lori Moser, manager of Swine Health Ontario, said Senecavirus A “is challenging because although it is not a foreign animal disease (FAD), it can look like a FAD. We are asking our producers to assess pigs carefully because any signs of vesicular disease seen at processing may disrupt production flow until a foreign animal disease is ruled out.”