Pig High Fever Disease Reemerging in China

April 11, 2007 — 

With warming weather, pig high fever disease [PHFD] has reemerged in some southern provinces. PHFD is serious in Sichuan, Henan, and other large pig breeding provinces, and in some places there is a high mortality rate among infected pigs.

The culling rate on affected pig farms reaches 70 percent with significant declines in stocks. Breeder enthusiasm to increase stocks has suffered severe blows. And with the high price of piglets, there is no room for optimism about increases in pig stocks in disease-affected areas.

After large volumes of pigs were unloaded on the market before the holidays, pig stocks fell further. Now, prevention and control of the PHFD epidemic will have a direct impact on the level of pig stocks nationwide. If this year's [2007] undiagnosed high fever is national in scope as it was last year [2006], spreading widely, it will cause a decline in pig stocks and this year's pig prices may be in a similar situation as last year.

[Ed. The situation in China is somewhat confusing. There have been reports over the last few years describing a seasonal (restricted to hot summer months) disease syndrome in southern China with similar clinical signs as described above. However, in addition, a syndrome named Swine High Fever Disease (SHFD) has also been reported. Non-seasonal and more widespread (affecting pigs on farms in areas along the Yangtze River, mainly in the provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Jangxi, Anhui, and Jiagsu), it is related to the mixed infection of 3 viruses, namely the agents of classical swine fever [CSF], porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome [PRRS], and porcine circovirus [PCV-2]. In addition, some samples were positive for pseudorabies, Streptococcus suis, pasteurellosis, and porcine contagious pleuropneumonia infection. Samples that tested positive for PRRS, CFS, or PCV-2 accounted for 96.5 percent of the total of the samples tested. African swine fever [ASF] was excluded.]

Source:
ProMED-mail , April 6, 2007, Archive Number 20070406.1155