PRV Confirmed on Wisconsin Farm

April 16, 2007 — 

Hogs presented for slaughter tested positive for pseudorabies (PRV) during a routine screening test.

Additional samples collected from the herd located in north central Wisconsin were submitted for testing at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Positive screening samples have been forwarded to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) which has confirmed the diagnosis.

The Clark County herd was quarantined as a precaution while awaiting confirmation. The USDA gives states 15 days from confirmation to “depopulate” the infected herd and test all swine herds within five miles of the infected herd in order to retain their pseudorabies-free status. Most of the animals will be allowed to go to slaughter for use as food, because the meat is safe to eat. Animals that are too young or otherwise not suitable for food use will be euthanized humanely. The herd consists of about 300 swine – piglets, young hogs, sows, gilts and boars.

Besides working with the producer, current actions by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to respond to this outbreak include:

• Going door to door in the five-mile radius to find premises with swine and schedule pseudorabies testing
• Testing herds known to have had contact with the infected herd
• Examining records and talking with producers, livestock markets and others to try to find the source of the disease and other potentially exposed herds
• Sending a letter to owners of registered swine premises in the state detailing the current situation and standard biosecurity precautions to protect against disease in general.

Source:
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection