Influenza D Virus Infection in Feral Swine Populations, United States

Authors

Lucas Ferguson, Mississippi State University
Kaijian Luo, Mississippi State University
Alicia K. Olivier, Mississippi State University
Fred L. Cunningham, USDAFollow
Sherry Blackmon, Mississippi State University
Katie Hanson-Dorr, USDA
Hailiang Sun, South China Agricultural University
John Baroch, USDA
Mark W. Lutman, USDA
Bianca Quade, Mississippi State University
William Epperson, Mississippi State University
Richard Webby, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Thomas J. DeLiberto, USDAFollow
Xiu-Feng Wan, Mississippi State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2018

Citation

Emerging Infectious Diseases Vol. 24, No. 6, June 2018

Comments

Copyright Ferguson et al.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2406.172102

Abstract

Influenza D virus (IDV) has been identified in domestic cattle, swine, camelid, and small ruminant populations across North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. Our study investigated seroprevalence and transmissibility of IDV in feral swine. During 2012–2013, we evaluated feral swine populations in 4 US states; of 256 swine tested, 57 (19.1%) were IDV seropositive. Among 96 archived influenza A virus–seropositive feral swine samples collected from 16 US states during 2010–2013, 41 (42.7%) were IDV seropositive. Infection studies demonstrated that IDV-inoculated feral swine shed virus 3–5 days postinoculation and seroconverted at 21 days postinoculation; 50% of in-contact naive feral swine shed virus, seroconverted, or both. Immunohistochemical staining showed viral antigen within epithelial cells of the respiratory tract, including trachea, soft palate, and lungs. Our findings suggest that feral swine might serve an important role in the ecology of IDV.