What is it about?
A literature review was conducted to look at the trend and diversity of infectious agents that were newly found in pigs between 1985 and 2010. We identified 173 new variants from 91 species, of which 73 species had not been previously described in pigs. These new species, of which one third could be transmitted to humans, were diverse. They were predominantly in the main pork producing countries, with the rate of discovery of new virus variants doubling within the last 10 years of the study period. Whilst infectious agent species newly detected in high-income countries were more likely to be associated with higher virulence, zoonotic agents (those transmissible to humans) were found in low- and middle-income countries.
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Why is it important?
Considering the rapid transformation of the swine industry, concerted efforts are needed for improving our understanding of the factors influencing the emergence of infectious agents. This information then needs to inform surveillance systems and strategies that can aim to reduce the risk associated with these factors.
Perspectives
I contributed with the literature search for this project whilst working at the Royal Veterinary College as a research assistant in the Veterinary Epidemiology, Economics and Public Health group. I really enjoyed being a part of this team for my short time there.
Dr. Lianne Kearsley-Fleet
University of Manchester
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Spatiotemporal trends in the discovery of new swine infectious agents, Veterinary Research, September 2015, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1186/s13567-015-0226-8.
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