When highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) struck the U.S. dairy industry in March 2024, the swine industry kept a close eye on what was unfolding to better understand potential introduction into swine.
“We really wanted to take a proactive approach from the swine industry’s perspective on understanding what this would look like in pigs,” says Megan Niederwerder, executive director of the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC). “Would it look like endemic influenza? What would be the clinical response? Could it cause mastitis in our sow farms, or would it be a high mortality incident similar to poultry with significant death loss and severe disease?”
Although there was a single case in backyard swine in Oregon in October of 2024, the pigs never had clinical signs, she explains.
“These were outdoor, backyard raised pigs that were never intended for the food supply, they did not show clinical signs, and they were exposed due to co-housing with poultry that were infected,” Niederwerder says. “Because of that, we wanted to look at the risk factors for introduction into commercial swine. How can we prevent it? How can we mitigate it? How can we be prepared so we can inform producers and veterinarians what to look for, how to collect samples and how to detect it?”
Investing in Answers
One of the efforts of SHIC was to form the H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Program, along with the Pork Checkoff and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research. Producers, veterinarians and other key stakeholders within the swine industry helped to identify gaps in knowledge and develop the research priorities. Through this total investment of $4 million, the organizations received a total of 51 proposals. These proposals went through a competitive peer review process during the first several months of 2025, Niederwerder explains.
The program has recently selected 10 projects for funding, with about $2.1 million going toward universities and companies to conduct this research trying to answer those questions about clinical presentation of the virus in swine in various groups.
“Whether that be sows, suckling pigs, nursery pigs, or grow-finish pigs, this research will look at the different clinical presentations, including from a mammary transmission understanding,” she says. “In addition, researchers will work on studies to discover if H5N1 could impact milk production in sows and biosecurity practices that would reduce the risk from wild birds and other wildlife that may be infected with H5N1.”
As well, these projects will further knowledge of the best diagnostic surveillance tools for early detection and better understand the potential for incursion.
“It’s important we consider the H5N1 risk learnings from the dairy industry and the poultry industry,” she says. “Then, we will apply those learnings to the unique characteristics of the swine industry to hopefully prevent any incursion in the commercial swine herd. We continue to look for other opportunities as well to generate knowledge and tools for our producers.”
Niederwerder says SHIC plans to release the funded projects soon.
