Research Publications (Food Safety)

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a contagious disease of domestic and wild pigs caused by the African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV). The disease has spread globally in recent years with serious economic consequences to pork production. This report describes an ASF outbreak that occurred in a large‐scale Chinese commercial pig farm. The outbreak started in 2018 and presents the spatial and temporal spread of infection in an intensive pig farm.

In recent years, different subtypes of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses caused outbreaks in several poultry types worldwide. Early detection of HPAI virus infection is crucial to reduce virus spread. Previously, the use of a mortality ratio threshold to expedite notification of suspicion in layer farms was proposed.

Highly pathogenic (HP) avian influenza viruses (AIV) can spread globally through migratory birds and cause massive outbreaks in commercial poultry. AIV outbreaks have been associated with proximity to waterbodies, presence of waterfowl or wild bird cases near poultry farms. In this study, we compared densities of selected HPAI high‐risk wild bird species around 7 locations (H farms) infected with HPAIV H5N8 in the Netherlands in 2016–2017 to densities around 21 non‐infected reference farms.

The increasing number of dermatophytoses among animals observed recently in developed countries may be connected with relocation of many exotic species outside their natural living environment. Moreover, an impact on this situation may also be exerted by relapses related to limited compliance with antifungal treatment regimes. Many exotic animals, including camelids, imported to European countries are connected with cases of tuberculosis or zoophilic dermatophytoses in humans.

A survey of influenza A viruses (IAVs) in the Mingalar‐Taung‐Nyunt live bird market (MTN‐LBM), Yangon, Myanmar, was conducted from December 2017 to December 2018. During the survey, 455 swab samples were collected from broilers, layers, backyard chickens and ducks from the MTN‐LBM. Ninety‐one pooled samples were screened for IAVs by real‐time RT‐PCR specific to the M gene. Positive pooled samples were individually retested for IAVs.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a pestivirus that affects both cattle and sheep, causing an array of clinical signs, which include abortions and malformations in the offspring. Manufacturing of modified live virus (MLV) vaccines often includes the use of bovine‐derived products, which implies a risk of contamination with viable BVDV.

Swine influenza virus (SIV) causes respiratory diseases in pigs and has impacts on both animal and human health. In this study, we conducted swine influenza surveillance in pig farms in the Yangon and Bago regions, Myanmar during 2017‐2019. Nasal swabs (n=500) were collected from pigs in 10 swine farms. Our results showed that 11 out of 100 pooled samples (11%) were positive for influenza A virus (IAV) by real‐time RT‐PCR.

Avian hepatitis E virus (HEV) is highly variable and has multiple genotypes. Previous studies showed that the current epidemic strain in China is genotype 5, but the relevant detection was only carried out in flocks with hepatic rupture hemorrhage syndrome, which does not mean that other genotypes do not exist. In this study, a broader analysis involving different chicken flocks was performed to understand the epidemic status of avian HEV in China.

Brucella melitensis is a serious public health threat, with human infection exhibiting acute febrile illness and chronic health problems. The present study investigated the genetic diversity and epidemiological links of the important zoonotic bacterium B. melitensis in Egypt using multilocus variable number tandem‐repeat analysis (MLVA‐16) including eight minisatellite (panel 1) and eight microsatellite (panel 2, subdivided into 2A and 2B) markers.

An epidemiological surveillance program was carried out to assess exposure and spatio‐temporal patterns of selected pathogens (Brucella spp., Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), Mycoplasma agalactiae, Pestivirus and bluetongue virus (BTV)) in Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) from Andalusia (southern Spain), the region with the largest population of this species. A total of 602 animals in five distribution areas were sampled during 2010‐2012 (P1) and 2013‐2015 (P2).

Q fever, caused by the zoonotic bacterium Coxiella burnetii, is a globally distributed emerging infectious disease. Livestock are the most important zoonotic transmission sources, yet infection in people without livestock exposure is common. Identifying potential exposure pathways is necessary to design effective interventions and aid outbreak prevention.

Avian influenza is an acute and highly contagious infectious disease that is caused by the influenza virus. Avian influenza has been widely spread all over the world, has caused property loss and has threatened human life and security. In this study, the recombinant plasmid rClone30‐chGM‐CSF was constructed and rescued to the recombinant virus rClone30‐chGM‐CSF successfully.

SUMMARY Since the first introduction of African swine fever (ASF) into the European wild boar population in 1957, the question of virus survival in carcasses of animals that succumbed to the disease has been discussed. The causative African swine fever virus (ASFV) is known to be very stable in the environment. Thus, carcasses of infected wild boar could play a major role as ASFV reservoir and thereby help to locally maintain and spread the disease in wild boar populations.

Following its introduction into Georgia in 2007, African swine fever virus (ASFV) has become widespread on the European continent and in Asia. In many cases, the exact route of introduction into domestic pig herds cannot be determined, but most introductions are attributed to indirect virus transmission. In this review, we describe knowledge gained about different matrices that may allow introduction of the virus into pig herds.

The resistance of H‐type and L‐type BSE prions to autoclaving under EU regulation conditions for specified risk material is unknown. We employed transgenic mouse (bovinized line tg1896) bioassay to assess the efficacy of such decontamination on L‐ and H‐type BSE. For each source, titre calculation was based on the comparison of incubation period and attack rate prior to and after decontamination.

The interplay of simultaneous COVID‐19, African swine fever, and avian influenza emergencies on global health and industries is constantly evolving and difficult to predict, and therefore warrants further scrutiny. The need for a health network of global scope for the rapid and open exchange of information needs to be strengthened in order to address ongoing and future epidemics under competing resources.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an emerging threat to both human and animal health. Antimicrobial use and resistance in food animal production including swine has received increased scrutiny as a source of resistant foodborne pathogens. Continuous surveillance of AMR in bacterial isolates of swine origin can guide in conservation of antimicrobials used in both human and swine medicine.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an enteric RNA virus from the family Hepeviridae with five genotypes (genotypes 1‐4 and 7) known to infect humans. HEV infection is known to have a zoonotic swine origin in industrialized countries. The role of pigs and wild boars as major reservoirs for human infection is today well‐established, however the list of new animal reservoirs is ever‐expanding as new HEV strains are continuously being found in a broad host range.

In recent decades multiple subtypes (i.e., H9N2, H5N1, and H7N9) of avian influenza virus (AIV) have become widespread in China, which has caused enormous economic losses and posed considerable threats to public health.

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and pseudorabies virus (PRV) are two of the most significant trade‐limiting pathogens affecting swine worldwide. Both viruses are endemic to China where millions of kilograms of feed ingredients are manufactured and subsequently imported into the United States.

The introduction and spread of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in North America resulted in significant death loss in the swine industry. As the industry learned how to manage this disease many new risks were identified, including the potential for feed and feed ingredients to become contaminated and spread PEDV. In addition, biosecurity practices were reevaluated and strengthened throughout the industry.

Biosecurity is crucial for infectious disease prevention, more importantly in the absence of vaccination. The need for improving the implementation of biosecurity practices was highlighted in French duck farms following the 2016–2017 H5N8 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) epidemic. Farmers have multiple reasons for not implementing biosecurity practices: external (time, money) and internal (socio‐psychological).

The cover image is based on the Short Communication A novel reassortant influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in swine in Shandong Province, eastern China, by Zhijun Yu et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.13360.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), an ongoing emergence enveloped virus with a single‐stranded positive‐sense RNA genome, belongs to the Gammacoronavirus genus in the Coronaviridae family. IBV‐associated tracheitis, nephritis, salpingitis, proventriculitis and egg drop have caused devastating economic losses to poultry industry worldwide. Since the end of 2018, a remarkably increasing number of commercial broilers and layers, vaccinated or not, were infected with IBV in China.

In recent decades, cases of autochthonous hepatitis E (HE) have sharply increased in European countries where foodborne transmission is considered the main route of HE virus (HEV) transmission. Although rabbits are considered the main reservoir of the zoonotic HEV‐3ra subtype, information on the role of wild lagomorphs in the epidemiology of HEV remains scarce.