Global trends in infectious diseases of swine

Abstract

Pork accounts for more than one-third of meat produced worldwide and is an important component of global food security, agricultural economies, and trade. Infectious diseases are among the primary constraints to swine production, and the globalization of the swine industry has contributed to the emergence and spread of pathogens. Despite the importance of infectious diseases to animal health and the stability and productivity of the global swine industry, pathogens of swine have never been reviewed at a global scale. Here, we build a holistic global picture of research on swine pathogens to enhance preparedness and understand patterns of emergence and spread. By conducting a scoping review of more than 57,000 publications across 50 years, we identify priority pathogens globally and regionally, and characterize geographic and temporal trends in research priorities. Of the 40 identified pathogens, publication rates for eight pathogens increased faster than overall trends, suggesting that these pathogens may be emerging or constitute an increasing threat. We also compared regional patterns of pathogen prioritization in the context of policy differences, history of outbreaks, and differing swine health challenges faced in regions where swine production has become more industrialized. We documented a general increasing trend in importance of zoonotic pathogens and show that structural changes in the industry related to intensive swine production shift pathogen prioritization. Multinational collaboration networks were strongly shaped by region, colonial ties, and pig trade networks. This review represents the most comprehensive overview of research on swine infectious diseases to date.

SLA-1 Genetic Diversity in Pigs: Extensive Analysis of Copy Number Variation, Heterozygosity, Expression, and Breed Specificity

“…Pigs are invaluable as a species for meat production and as experimental models in biomedical research [1][2][3] . In addition, the increase in the occurrence of infectious diseases has become a big concern for the pig production industry 4 . The swine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) namely swine leukocyte antigen (SLA), has been associated with the porcine immune response to various infections and vaccinations [5][6][7] .…”

Seroprevalences of Classical Swine Fever Virus and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus in Pigs in Hunan Province, China

“…The transportations of people and pigs are apparently different now from that in the past, and this has led to an increasing concern about viruses, such as CSFV or PRRSV, spreading to the pathogen-free areas, leading not only to animal infections, but also to economic loss in pig industry [12]. Hunan is the thirdlargest swine-raising province in China, and serological statistics of CSFV and PRRSV antibodies in Hunan province have certain effect on the whole breeding industry.…”

Extracellular Traps: An Ancient Weapon of Multiple Kingdoms

“…Infectious diseases in pigs could account for high economic losses, as pork accounts for one-third of worldwide meat production [129]. Bacterial pathogens P. aeruginosa, as well as S. aureus, also induced NET release in porcine PMNs [65].…”