Novel H1N1 Infections in Animals

[indigo girl]

Human swine flu in pigs

The Editors of Effect Measure are senior public health scientists and practitioners. Paul Revere was a member of the first local Board of Health in the United States (Boston, 1799). The Editors sign their posts "Revere" to recognize the public service of a professional forerunner better known for other things.

...we started seeing pigs infected with human pandemic swine flu, both in the lab and in pig herds. It's likely the pigs got it from us, although which direction things went in isn't completely clear. But originally the virus made the jump from pigs to humans, probably sometime in late 2008 or early 2009, and now it's likely moving back and forth. Finding the human virus in pig herds in Canada, the US, Norway, Argentina and Northern Ireland, the current official line from the ag industry is, "No surprise. Nothing to see. Move right along."

...industrial pork production packs large numbers of animals together in unsanitary and highly stressful conditions, the perfect incubator for a more virulent virus. In this setting there is a selective advantage to produce more numerous and perhaps more severe symptoms because sick animals can transmit the virus easily, even if they sicken and die. So the establishment of this new ecological niche for the virus in animals in contact with humans and consumers is a concern.

At the moment the virus isn't even making the pigs sick, so it is most likely H1N1 pigs are moving into the food chain. If you cook the pork you will kill (more accurately, inactivate) the virus. But the pork on the dinner plate isn't the only consumer or health concern. Infected and uncooked pork and even infected live pigs routinely come in contact with people in the process of husbandry, slaughter, butchering, packaging and food preparation. While it is most likely true you can't get swine flu from eating pork, there are many other possible modes of transmitting infection from infected swine.

Read their complete commentary here: http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2009/10/human_swine_flu_in_pigs.php

[indigo girl]

Japan Testing Swine For Suspected H1N1

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2009/10/japan-testing-swine-for-suspected-h1n1.html

Today Japan is investigating a possible outbreak among pigs in Osaka.

The concern is that pigs are considered excellent mixing vessels for viruses, and that a new `reassorted' virus could emerge and become a human health threat.

Of course, that's a pretty rare event. Why, nothing like that has happened since . . . last spring.

The latest, from Bloomberg, indicates that the pigs have tested positive for H1N1, but that further genetic tests are underway.

[indigo girl]

H1N1 in Turkeys - Ontario, Canada

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009/10/21/11471996-sun.html#

Ontario's chief medical officer of health is advising poultry handlers and other livestock workers to get their flu shots after breeder turkeys at a Kitchener farm tested positive for the H1N1 virus.

"I want to assure Ontarians that the risk to human health in this situation is minimal, but it is the clarion call to people who work with livestock to get both the seasonal and the H1N1 flu shot," Dr. Arlene King said yesterday.

"We have to do all we can to stop the transmission of viruses between people and animals. The risk is the potential changes to the virus against which people could have reduced or no immunity."

[indigo girl]

H1N1 in Turkeys - Chile

http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2009/08/21/117311/swine-flu-found-in-turkeys.html

Swine flu has been detected in turkeys at two farms in Chile, the first time the H1N1 virus has been found outside humans and pigs.

The country's farming leaders said the outbreak had been controlled on the farms, 75 miles from the capital Santiago and that both farms had been placed under quarantine.

The virus was detected last week (13 August) after turkey producers reported anomalies in the output of eggs.

[indigo girl]

Swine Flu Infected Pet Ferret - Oregon

http://vetmedicine.about.com/b/2009/10/20/h1n1-news-ferret-tests-positive-in-oregon.htm

Of course, ferrets would be susceptible. These are the animals used in the lab for experimenting with flu viruses.

On October 8, 2009, Oregon State University's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory presumptively diagnosed pandemic influenza H1N1 by PCR from the nasal secretions of the ferret.

This possibility has been warned about, as ferrets are susceptible to human influenza viruses. Pet birds may be at risk too, since the H1N1 jumped to turkeys last summer.

In the Oregon ferret case, the human family had been sick with symptoms compatible with the flu virus, so the ferret was tested at OSU and the National Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Good news - according to the report, the ferret is recovering.

[indigo girl]

Pandemic H1N1 Spread in Swine Raises Pandemic Concerns

Pigs in Michigan were tested as part of a university research project back in late August. We are just now finding out that they were positive for the novel swine flu. There is plenty of swine flu in humans right now especially in the US as Dr. Niman points out, more cases here than anywhere else in the world. It is not so surprising therefore to find it in swine as well. The surprise is rather that no one is bothering to look more extensively, and they aren't reporting it. Is this significant? In the middle of a pandemic in humans with the same virus? It could be very significant.

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/10190901/H1N1_Swine_Spread.html

...the vast majority of human infections come from other humans because the pandemic H1N1 transmits efficiently in humans also. Explosion of cases has been linked to school openings, and attack rates at some sites are approaching 100%. Thus far genetic drift has been minimal and there have been no reports of shifts due to reassortment. However, as the virus spreads in humans, there will be more selection pressure for drift variants, which may be facilitated by passage of the virus through other species, including swine.

The failure of the USDA to report any outbreaks in the US raises serious surveillance issues. The vast majority of swine infections have been mild, and therefore routine surveillance of asymptomatic herds is required for detection of most infections. The lack of reports of positives identified through such a surveillance program indicates the program is not efficient / effective or the data is being withheld.

The recent explosion of human cases in the US will undoubtedly lead to more swine infections, however, the spread and evolution of pandemic H1N1 in swine and other species has not been reported in the US. Surveillance failures in the US led to the emergence of pandemic H1N1 that was only distantly related to sequences in the swine database. The failure of the USDA to report any swine H1N1 infections indicates that the surveillance deficiencies in the past have not been corrected.

These detection failures increase pandemic concerns.

[indigo girl]

Southern Iceland

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/28/content_12343954.htm

"Pig A/H1N1 cases from the Minni-Vatnsleysa pork farm in southern Iceland have been confirmed by the University of Iceland's Institute for Experimental Pathology at Icelandic southern city Keldur," said the Icelandic electronic newspaper Iceland Review.

It also said the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority reported the first case of pigs infection in the country Tuesday morning.

"As soon as suspicion of the infection arose yesterday, limitations were placed on the transport of live animals from the farm and all precautions tightened," reported Iceland Review.

(hat tip pfi/niman)

[indigo girl]

US: H1N1 flu confirmed in Iowa cat

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/2009/11/us-h1n1-flu-confirmed-in-iowa-cat.html

We know that cats can be infected with H5N1 (bird flu) supposedly from eating infected poultry, but this is unusual. This sounds more like a droplet or airborne method of transmission.

A cat in Iowa has tested positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, state officials confirmed this morning, marking the first time a cat has been diagnosed with this strain of influenza.

The cat, which has recovered, is believed to have caught the virus from someone in the household who was sick with H1N1. There are no indications that the cat passed the virus on to any other animals or people.

Prior to this diagnosis, the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus had been found in humans, pigs, birds and ferrets. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) are reminding pet owners that some viruses can pass between people and animals, so this was not an altogether unexpected event.

[indigo girl]

Swine Flu in Ontario Turkeys

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:57555::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1004,79728

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed that the

cause of an egg production drop in a flock in a single barn of Hybrid

Grand Parent Breeding turkeys in Ontario was due to the novel H1N1

influenza virus. Recently novel H1N1 was reported as the cause of an

egg production drop in turkey breeding hens in Chile where employees

also were seen as the source.

The only [sign] in the affected Ontario flock was a decrease in egg

production with no associated illness or mortality. The flock is

showing normal feed and water consumption and is expected to fully

recover, consistent with other flus that are more common in turkeys.

The most likely source of the virus is from human transmission. A

limited number of employees prior to the egg production drop

exhibited "cold-like" symptoms and one sought medical attention.

Employee health is being monitored and some employees are now being

tested for the virus.

[indigo girl]

More ferrets in Oregon get swine flu from owners

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/11/more_ferrets_in_oregon_get_swi.html

"We are advising vets to take care because of the possibility of animal to human transmission," said Emilio DeBess, the state public health veterinarian.

So far, the virus has only gone one way-from owners to their ferrets.

In early October, the first case of human to ferret transmission of the H1N1 virus was documented by DeBess in the Portland area. Then at the end of last month, nine ferrets owned by a family in Roseburg came down with flulike symptoms, he said.

(hat tip flutrackers/Roehl JC)

[indigo girl]

China Worries Over Species Jumping H1N1

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2009/11/china-worries-over-species-jumping-h1n1.html

I have not heard of anywhere where dogs have been confirmed positive for H1N1. I am thinking that this is still anecdotal until there is more confirmation. But, given what we know about how many species H5N1 can infect, swine flu infecting dogs is a distinct possibility, and the worry is of course, mutation.

A video report from CCTV (China Central Television) news tonight where concerns over species jumping to pigs, cats, and according to this report . . . dogs, have experts in China concerned over the potential for the H1N1 virus to mutate.

The newscaster is in English, although the interview with Zhong Nanshan, hero of the SARS outbreak of 2003 and a highly respected respiratory disease specialist, is in Chinese with an English translation.

We’ve not heard of dogs being infected by the H1N1 virus before, although there have been reports of dogs being infected by the H5N1 avian flu. For now, until we can get some details, I’m not quite ready to embrace the canine H1N1 species jump.

[indigo girl]

http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20091111/NEWS/911119988/-1/rss03

Oregon so far has four cases in which it's believed the pandemic influenza H1N1 passed from humans to ferrets-three of them from Douglas County.

Local veterinarians say the number of sick pets is not alarming, but the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association is closely monitoring how this new element of H1N1 unfolds.

"It gets us concerned because there's the thought: Is it going to mutate into something nasty?" said Mary Herrera, owner and veterinarian at Sutherlin Veterinarian Hospital.

(hat tip flutrackers/pathfinder)