D6-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 7,1992
-1
Pennsylvania
PRV HEADLINES /
A bi-weekly communication from ''l
PA Pseudorabies Committee and Penn State Extension
to alert you to developments in PRV and its control \
SOURCES OF
PRV AND
. ITS ABILITY
TO SURVIVE
Editor’s Note: Sections taken
from “Pseudorabies (PRV)
Eradication Program,” Harry J.
Baker, D.V.M., Pseudorabies
Epidemiologist, Nebraska
Department of Agriculture.
Pseudorabies is a highly conta
gious infectious disease caused by
herpes virus. This disease is of
primary interest to those in the
swine industry, but other species
of animals, wild and domestic, are
affected as well.
At this time, research seems to
indicate that swine are the only
primary hosts of PRV. Primary
host means an animal can have the
disease, recover, and yet remain a
carrier.
Generally, PRV carrier swine
do not continually shed virus on a
daily basis. Once the acute infec
tion is over, the virus becomes
somewhat dormant within the
body. The carrier animal may nev
er shed the virus again or may shed
only when stressed. Stressors
could include chilling, movement
of pigs, farrowing, or any other
type of situation that puts the ani
mal under stress. That is why, in
the herd cleanup plans, all factors
that cause stress have to be
addressed.
The Farm Size
Milling System
that weighs
each ingredient.
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Other species of animals are
considered dead-end hosts, which
means that the result of animals
which become PRV infected is
usually death. Fortunately, these
animals have a higher resistance to
the PRV virus than swine.
Of domestic animals, dogs and
cats have a high resistance to PRV.
Cattle are moderately resistant to
PRV, while sheep have a low
resistance.
Of the wild animals known to be
affected by PRV, opossums, rats,
mice, and skunks have a high resis
tance to this disease, and raccoons
are moderately resistant
The PRV virus, once outside of
a host animal’s body and in the
environment is very susceptible to
the elements. The herpes virus
can’t live very long without some
degree of protection this is
because PRV is primarily a respir
atory disease.
It is thought the virus survives
and moves from animal to animal
within the herd through respiratory
excretions. These excretions (nas
al and snotty discharges) stick to
panels, workers’ boots and clo
thing, feed and feeding equipment,
trucks and other miscellaneous
equipment, and bedding. These
vehicles are thought to be the prim
ary methods of spread of the dis
ease other than direct animal-to
animal contact.
Research personnel at the lowa
State University studied the survi-
Ter.
4t
automatic
farm
systems
608 £vargrean Rd.
Labanon, PA 17042
(717) 274-5333
vability of the PRV virus under
environmental conditions. They
have learned that the survival of
virus is dependent on temperature
and is susceptible to extreme levels
of pH.
If optimal pH and temperature
conditions exist, some virus may
exist for long periods of time. Vir
us can live for 40 days at 37
degrees C and 120 days at 4
degrees C.
However, these conditions are
unlikely to exist In fact the survi
val of the virus in infectious dos
ages outside of a host animal’s
tissues is likely to be very limited.
PRV virus can live for only a
few hours on clean concrete, but
can live for up to three days on
plastic and steel. When mixed in
dirt, the virus will live a few hours.
The presence of organic material,
such as manure or com stalks, will
permit the virus to live for several
days.
We can never know for sure
how long a premises may be infec
tious. In most cases, the virus prob
ably survives for only a few days.
Carcasses of pigs or wild ani
mals may contain live virus for at
least one week under summer con
ditions. Protein (body tissue) pro
tects the virus from the elements.
Important potential sources of
infection are dead pigs, infected
placenta, and dead wildlife.
The time-honored method of
throwing out dead pigs with the
manure has to stop. This is a poten-
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CARPET
to
STYLES - COLORS - SELECTION
McGEEHAN CARPET
(717) 626-4602
Mon., Wed., Thurs. 6 PM - 9 PM. Sat. 8 AM - 3 PM
REMNANTS
AREA RUGS!
INSTALLATION BY
THANKSGIVING
LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN BRUNNERVILLE
Chemical Safety
Compliance School
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
The public is invited to attend
the 1992 Capital Region Ag
Chemical Safety Compliance
School which will be held at the
Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg,
on Tuesday, December 15, start
ing at 8:30 a.m. Registration is
required with a deadline of
December 8.
The morning sessions are
designed to inform supervisors
and workers about their role and
responsibilities as a pesticide
applicator. A panel discussion on
many of the regulations from the
Pennsylvania right-to-know laws
to the hazardous communication
tial method of spread of PRV.
Oftentimes, when a newly infected
farm is studied for the source of
PRV, the owner will state their dog
or cat has been bringing pigs to the
house that were a different color
than what that farm farrows.
Proper disposition of dead baby
pigs, dead swine, infected placen
ta, and dead wildlife by tendering,
incineration, or deep burial is an
important part of the control and
eradication of PRV.
programs will be discussed in
detail.
Also an update on the recent
regulations from the Environmen
tal Protection Agency will be
discussed.
A special on-site demonstration
on how to handle a chemical spill
will be conducted by the Cumber
land County Hazmat Team.
Finally, in the afternoon, parti
cipants will break out into their
specific areas to obtain category
credits in ornamentals and turf,
parks and recreation, right-of
way, pools, aquatics, and other
core credits.
Although this year’s program
has been designed for township
and borough supervisors and
school and park grounds mainte
nance crews, the program also is
adaptable to any individual work
ing with pesticides in agriculture.
There is a registration fee of
$lB, which includes instructional
materials, lunch, breaks, and
speaker expenses.
For more information, call
(717) 334-6271 or your local
county extension office.
S&