Interruptions of Culled Sow Exports Prompt Stepped up Surveillance for Seneca Valley Virus

Disruptions in the export of culled sows from Canada to the U.S. this past summer have prompted stepped up efforts to identify and prevent Seneca Valley virus at Manitoba assembly yards.

Seneca Valley virus is among the topics covered as part of the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network's just released swine disease surveillance report for the fourth quarter of 2022.

CWSHIN Manager Dr. Jette Christensen notes, the challenge is that the clinical signs of Seneca Valley virus are indistinguishable from Foot and Mouth Disease because both diseases cause blisters.

Clip-Dr. Jette Christensen-Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network:

Over the last years Seneca Valley virus has been reported in at least seven states in the U.S.Other countries have reported Seneca Valley virus too.Among them are Australia, New Zealand and Brazil.In Canada we have also seen Seneca Valley virus.It's been detected at assembly yards in Manitoba and Ontario as far back as 2016.This summer in Manitoba Assembly yards again had Seneca Valley virus detected.

That caused a disruption in exports of culled sows to the U.S. for slaughter and that really affected cull sow logistics and movements in all of western Canada because a lot of the culled sows go through Manitoba assembly yards to slaughter in the U.S.

As a result, the affected assembly yards had to step up their control measures.That means that they need to do more surveillance for Seneca Valley virus, they need testing for Seneca Valley virus, there also needs to be export inspections and basically if there's blisters they must prove that it's Seneca Valley virus and not food and mouth disease.

Dr. Christensen notes every new case of blisters in swine, cattle, sheep and so must be investigated by the CFIA which is a huge job so we don't want Seneca Valley virus in Canada.