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For the past five years SAPPO has commissioned an investigation into the health status of the national pig herd. Onderstepoort tests pigs serologically for a history of exposure to important swine pathogens in co-operation with pig veterinarians. The results are published in a report, which is annually handed to the national Department of Agriculture. The findings help the department in negotiations with other countries regarding import and export matters.

There was no seriological survey done in 2005. SAPPO spent the funds on the eradication of PRRS and Classical Swine Fever. A survey will however again be done in 2006/2007. The results are expected in April 2007.

Results of the 2004 serological survey

Dr Jim Robinson, a veterinary consultant, discusses some of the important facts to emerge from the latest survey.

2004 is likely to be remembered as the year when the resources of the Veterinary Department were extended as never before.

Not only was there a repeated leak of foot and mouth disease from the quarantine area in the North of the country, but avian influenza was diagnosed in the Eastern and, later, Western Cape.  At the same time PRRS made its first appearance in the country.

These episodes coincided with the sixth annual serological survey in slaughter pigs, in which 1234 pigs were bled and tested for the following diseases:

• Foot and mouth disease
• African swine fever
• Classical swine fever (hog cholera)

• Swine influenza

• Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome (PRRS, blue ear disease)

All sera tested negative for the first four diseases.

The diagnosis of PRRS – made clinically and serologically on a commercial property in the Cape Town metropolitan area and not from the routine sampling frame, led to a comprehensive survey conducted from the Stellenbosch Veterinary Laboratory for the locally infected and contact farms and small-holdings.  The opportunity was taken, however, to extend the annual survey to a wider circle of properties in W Cape as well as extra samples from the rest of the country.

Internationally, PRRS is not regarded as a “trade sensitive disease”, ie the presence of the disease in an exporting country is not considered to be a reason to ban trade in pork products from that land.

This decision is probably based more on the widespread presence of the disease in the pork-exporting countries of the world than the severity of the infection in affected herds, which can be devastating.

The number of pigs of all ages that were bled and tested by means of the Elisa serological screening test was 3120, of which 70 were positive.  Several retests were necessary on some inland properties, but eventually all confirmed positive cases originated from the Western Cape.

 The following is a summary of the serological results

Retrospectively, PRRS has been one of the exotic viruses selected for testing on a regular basis and pigs were tested for the condition in 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002 and in this 2004 survey.  In all, some ten thousand pigs have been tested, all with negative results until now.

The known infected farms were tested at the Stellenbosch laboratories and those results are independent of this survey.