Australian researchers have shared important findings about the spread of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in a newly published study entitled, “Epidemiology of JEV in Australian Intensive Piggeries.” JEV, a mosquito-transmitted virus that impacts domestic swine industries and human health, can lead to severe production impacts in commercial swine, including reproductive failure, reduced conception, abortion, mummified and stillborn piglets, shaker piglets, deformed and weak piglets, prolonged gestation and boar infertility.
Although the virus is present in the western Pacific and Asia, it has not been identified in the U.S., where it poses an emerging risk to pork production. Funded by the Swine Health Information Center, in collaboration with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, this study reveals lessons learned from the 2021-2022 Australian JEV outbreak.
Brendan Cowled of Ausvet Pty Ltd, led the study that sought to understand how and why JEV spread in Australian pigs and make recommendations to assist the U.S. industry in preparedness should JEV ever arrive in the country.
Recommendations for U.S. Preparedness and Response to JEV
1. Improve surveillance for JEV in the U.S. by educating swine farmers on how to recognize JEV and how to report it.
2. Explore the potential to include JEV testing in existing public health surveillance programs such as sentinel chicken flock and mosquito monitoring.
3. Develop comprehensive integrated mosquito management protocols for farms. This will improve carcass quality but will also help reduce the impacts of JEV (and potentially other arboviruses) should it ever emerge in the U.S.
4. Encourage open discussion between the swine industry, pharmaceutical industry, and EPA and/or FDA to consider pre-empt emergency registration of insecticidal treatments for use in a JEV outbreak. Collaborate with USDA for potential gaps in research to support the registration of a future swine vaccine from Australia or southeast Asia depending on JEV type.
5. Continue strategic discussions between the swine industry and USDA to assess the modernization of the red book for JEV (FADPrep JEV Response plan) based on Australian experience.
6. Ensure proactive engagement between public health authorities and the swine industry to share industry concerns, and to assess practical, evidence-based approaches with relevant health authorities in advance, to minimize industry impacts whilst effectively managing risk.
“In the event of JEV becoming established in the U.S., it may be possible to develop machine learning or other AI approaches to predict the occurrence of seasonal JEV outbreaks,” the article advises. “These should be developed if JEV is established to provide early warnings, allowing proactive application of surveillance and control activities such as mosquito mitigation (e.g., insecticidal use) or vaccination of breeding stock (if/when a vaccine becomes available).”
Learn more about the qualitative and quantitative assessment here.
As JEV’s global range expands due to changing weather and migratory patterns, SHIC says Australia’s experience offers critical lessons for commercial swine industries like the U.S.
