EU H1N1 Research Supports ARS Findings

July 2, 2009 — 

Research into the novel A/H1N1 influenza virus funded by the European Union supports recent findings by the USDA's National Animal Disease Center regarding clinical presentation and pathogenicity in swine.

Preliminary results of the studies coordinated by the Veterinary Laboratory in Weybridge indicate that pigs infected with the novel A/H1N1 virus experience clinical signs similar to routine exposure with swine influenza virus and that the virus is shed to naïve animals for up to 10 days peaking between 3 to 5 days post-inoculation.

Researchers concluded that pigs are susceptible to infection with influenza A (H1N1) virus that results in the induction of detectable levels of clinical disease, virus shedding and pathology in an experimental setting. Importantly, mortality was not a feature and infected animals were able to transmit the virus to naïve contact pigs successively for at least three cycles of transmission, suggesting the virus could become established in susceptible pig populations if introduced.

Source: Defra