Promising pathogen news from SVA project

The Animal Health Laboratory and National Centre for Foreign Disease laboratory examined samples from 30 farms across the province

By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Farms.com

OMAFRA and the Animal Health Laboratory have good news to share from their surveillance project on Senecavirus A (SVA).

The researchers did not detect the pathogen in any of the samples submitted by participating hog operations, an Ontario Animal Health Network report said last week. 

In total, Ontario producers submitted 659 samples from 30 farms for the project. The Animal Health Laboratory in Guelph and the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease laboratory in Winnipeg conducted the testing.

“This is good news for the industry, supporting the theory that SVA is not present on Ontario farms,” Lori Moser, Swine Health Ontario manager, said to Farms.com yesterday.

But “producers should remain vigilant for clinical signs and practice good biosecurity, especially as it relates to assembly contact and associated transport.”

Swine Health Ontario conducts sampling each week at an Ontario processor and all test results have been negative since the project started over a year ago, the report said.

However, the virus continues to be detected at swine assembly yards.

Pigs infected with SVA typically have blisters or lesions on their snouts or hooves.

Previous Farms.com coverage on this project can be found here.

UPDATED June 27, 2018