LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN) -- The U.S. has its first confirmed case of bird flu in swine. USDA said Wednesday it was investigating positive cases of H5N1 in a backyard farming operation in Oregon that has a mix of poultry and livestock, including swine.
The USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories reportedly confirmed one case on Oct. 29, 2024, in one of five pigs in a backyard farm in Crook County, Oregon. The Oregon Department of Agriculture announced last week that the county's first case of bird flu was detected in poultry.
"The livestock and poultry on this farm shared water sources, housing, and equipment," the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in a news release.
"In other states, this combination has enabled transmission between species. Although the swine did not display signs of illness, the Oregon Department of Health and USDA tested the five swine for H5N1 out of an abundance of caution and because of the presence of H5N1 in other animals on the premises. The swine were euthanized to facilitate additional diagnostic analysis. Test results were negative for two of the pigs, and test results are still pending for two others."
The Oregon farm is a noncommercial operation with animals not intended for the commercial food supply.
"There is no concern about the safety of the nation's pork supply as a result of this finding," USDA said on Wednesday.
"In addition, the farm has been quarantined to prevent further spread of the virus. Other animals, including sheep and goats on the farm, remain under surveillance."
USDA said its laboratories conducted genomic sequencing of the virus from the poultry infected on the farm, and "that sequencing has not identified any changes to the H5N1 virus that would suggest to USDA and CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) that it is more transmissible to humans, indicating that the current risk to the public remains low."
USDA said it is conducting the investigation along with local and state officials and would provide updates when they become available.
"All detections of H5N1 include viral genome sequencing to provide additional information of interest to medical professionals and the research community to improve our understanding of the virus," USDA said.
"Genetic sequencing for these samples is underway, though sequencing results may be inconclusive due to low viral levels in the samples."
USDA said strong biosecurity is critical to eradicating the virus and protecting the health of farmworkers, farmers and their families, livestock and businesses.
USDA said it continues to "invest heavily" in vaccine research and development as a tool to help stem and potentially stop the spread of this virus among animals.
USDA said it approved two vaccine field safety trials for vaccine candidates designed to protect dairy cows from H5N1 and continues to explore vaccine options for other species.
Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com
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