Streptococcus Zooepidemicus Identified as Potential Emerging Disease Threat

The Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network is encouraging pork producers to watch for and immediately report the symptoms of Streptococcus zooepidemicus. Streptococcus zooepidemicus, or Strep Zoo, is one of three potential emerging diseases identified in the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network's report of infections reported by veterinarians in the region during the second quarter of 2019.

 

CWSHIN Manager Dr. Jette Christensen says, while this disease is rare, it can actually mimic foreign animal disease, either African Swine Fever or Classical Swine Fever.

 

 

The clinical signs that we've seen so far have been basically sudden death or death on arrival at an abattoir.

In sow herds it's also caused infertility or abortions. So far we've seen it in four sow barns, we've seen it in culled sows in assembly yards, We've seen it at one provincial packing plant and we've had reports back from a U..S. abattoir that they had increased losses in sows and the losses they talk about are basically dead on arrival.

 

So the assembly yards, the provincial packing plant and the U.S. abattoir have reported sudden death and found Streptococcus zooepidemicus in these dead animals. It's been interesting, with the experience from the four sow herds in our region that have been diagnosed with this streptococcus, that it's affected gilts and sows but not their litters.