Hogs catch fatal disease despite centre’s biosecurity

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Published: May 11, 1995

SASKATOON – One of the most important swine research and teaching facilities has been stricken with a fatal hog disease.

About 350 small pigs have died from transmissible gastroenteritis at the Prairie Swine Centre research facility on the outskirts of Saskatoon.

“We have tighter biosecurity than anyone and yet it still got in,” said Lee Whittington, the centre’s information officer.

TGE has been reported in prairie swine herds for 20 years, but a new outbreak of the highly contagious disease this spring has surprised many producers.

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Whittington said the centre is announcing the outbreak in its barns for two reasons: It wants the public to realize even biosecure hog barns can get the disease and it wants to warn farmers to monitor their barns closely.

The centre is doing a complete reevaluation of its security. It will monitor the movement of people, pigs, equipment and feed to try and detect how the disease entered the barn.

In addition to the loss of 350 small pigs, some of the older animals are refusing feed.

“It’ll make a big dent in next year’s income,” said Whittington.

To control the disease, staff at the centre introduced the disease to the entire herd to build up immunity. Working through the disease cycle, within nine months the herd should be clean, said Whittington.

Researchers are conducting nutrition, engineering and behavior experiments on the herd and some of that research will be lost because of the outbreak.

But it’s not all bad news. Research facility staff will make use of their misfortune to monitor how the disease affects the herd.

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