According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the first-ever case of the H5N1 virus has been detected in a pig, although the animal showed no signs of illness. The swine in question belongs to a non-commercial farm in Oregon and has now been euthanized so that additional testing can be conducted on it.
The origin of the virus on the farm has been attributed to wild bird migration carrying the bird flu virus. Poultry and dairy farms had nothing to do with this propagation, according to authorities. The current outbreak of the bird flu is being considered the worst in the country’s history, and since 2022, the virus has wiped out more than 100 million poultry birds.
The reason this case is particularly concerning is because pigs are able to become co-infected with both bird and human viruses, which allows for gene swapping. This can result in a stronger mutated version of the virus being born. So far, however, there have been no indications that this virus has been mutating in ways that may facilitate its spread in humans.
As a cautionary measure, authorities tested a total of five pigs from the farm. Apart from the one positive case, so far two negative results have come out, and the results from the other two pigs are still pending. Other animals on the farm, including sheep and goats, have also been brought under surveillance.
Since the animals in question were not meant for commercial food supply and now that the farm has been quarantined, officials say that the security of the nation’s pork supply is not in question. The fact that the case was detected on a small farm and not a large one is a matter of relief; it would have been more of a security concern had the infected pig been from a commercial farm.
So far, there are also misgivings about whether or not the pig in question was even truly infected with the virus. There is a possibility that the pig had only sniffed up some particles that contained H5N1.
Richard Webby, who studies flu in animals and birds for the World Health Organization and is a virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, has explained that at present, the detection of this one case does not pose an increased risk of the virus, but if this virus starts transmitting in pigs, that will pose an increased risk. Historically, pigs have been identified as the source of the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009-2010 and have been known to play roles in others.
