Pseudo-Rabies Detected in U.S. Commercial Swine Herd

Officials say the virus is not a food safety risk and does not affect humans

DES MOINES, IOWA (RFD News) — Animal health officials are warning that a previously eliminated swine disease has reappeared in the U.S. commercial herd.

Iowa agriculture officials say pseudo-rabies has been detected at a small commercial swine facility. The virus is highly contagious and often fatal in pigs, but despite its name, it is not rabies and does not impact humans.

Officials say the affected pigs recently came from a herd in Texas. The herd was housed outdoors, and investigators believe the virus was likely transmitted through contact with feral swine, where the disease still exists.

Pseudo-rabies was eliminated from the U.S. commercial herd in 2004, though it has continued to circulate in wild hog populations.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says there is no risk to consumers, noting that pork remains safe to eat and the virus does not present a food safety concern.

Related Stories
Slightly higher sales amid shrinking acreage and inventories point to tighter supplies supporting catfish prices.
Winter Weather Shapes Markets and Early Fieldwork Nationwide
Phibro’s Medicated feed additives are helping cattle strive right from the very start.
Rising Chinese feed output — especially for swine — signals sustained demand for protein meals and feed inputs, even when meat production growth appears modest.
The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has issued final Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) payments totaling more than $1.89 billion.
Livestock Conservancy Senior Program Manager Jeannette Beranger explains the upcoming poultry census and ongoing efforts to preserve rare and heritage poultry breeds raised across the U.S.

Knoxville native Neal Burnette-Irwin is a graduate from MTSU where he majored in Journalism and Entertainment Studies. He works as a digital content producer with RFD News and is represented by multiple talent agencies in Nashville and Chicago.


LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

One student is working to help farmers protect livestock and property.
Young anglers learn skills on the water while building a deeper connection to the outdoors.
The fifth-generation operation is managing land and cattle with a long-term focus.
Beef is leading the decline as slaughter drops and supplies tighten.
Their operation has grown into a featured stop on the state’s farm trail.
The trip is giving them a firsthand look at farming beyond the U.S.
Agriculture Shows
Hosted by Scott “The Cow Guy” Shellady and RFD News Markets Specialist Tony St. James, Commodity Talk delivers expert insight into the day’s ag commodity markets just before the CME opens. Only on RFD-TV and Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.
A look at the news, weather and commodities headlines that drove agriculture markets in the past week.
Everything profits from prairie. Soil, air, water — and all kinds of life! Learn how you can improve your land with prairie restoration, cover crops and prairie strips, while growing your bottom line.
Special 3-part series tells the story of the Claas family’s legacy, which changed agriculture forever.