The youth swine exhibition was in full swing at the pig barn, filled with competitors ranging from ages 3 to 21. The air was busy with the sound of pig bristles being brushed and parents braiding their children’s hair, adding cute pig-shaped barrettes and ribbons. Amidst the hustle and bustle, Dr. Andrew Bowman, a molecular epidemiologist from Ohio State University, made his way through the barn in his waterproof green overalls, on a mission to find swine snot.
Dr. Bowman prefers not to enter the pens, so he carefully wiped gauze across a pig’s nose as it tried to nose its way out and even nibbled on his shoelaces. He soon found a more cooperative subject—a pig with its nose sticking out from between the bars of its enclosure. “We have a total bias for snouts out,” he explained. Back in the lab, Dr. Bowman and his colleagues would later discover that some of the snouts in this bustling barn were harboring influenza.
The world is currently recovering from a pandemic that took the lives of millions of people, and it won’t be the last. Zoonotic diseases, which can spread between animals and humans, have become more common in recent years, and there will be more instances of animal pathogens spilling over into human populations in the future. While Americans may think that spillover is a problem that only exists abroad, such as in the live animal market in Wuhan, China, which may have been the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic, the reality is that there are real risks right in our own backyards and barnyards.
Since 2011, the United States has had more confirmed human cases of swine flu than any other country. Most of these cases have been linked to agricultural shows and fairs, which have become hotspots for the spread of the virus. Although flu is usually mild in pigs, they are known for giving rise to new flu variants. In 2009, a new variant originating from pigs in Mexico caused a pandemic that claimed the lives of at least 150,000 people.
For over a decade, Dr. Bowman and his colleagues have been studying the dangers of swine shows and working to make them safer. However, reducing the risks requires looking beyond just the pigs and addressing human behavior. Dr. Bowman emphasized the need for change, stating, “is an awful lot of human behavior.”
Pigs play a crucial role in the evolution of influenza. They can be simultaneously infected by swine, bird, and human flu viruses, providing a mixing ground for different strains to shuffle their genetic material and create new versions of the virus. Dr. Bowman and his team began swabbing pigs at swine shows to monitor flu surveillance and discovered a nationwide network of events that led to human infections in a predictable annual cycle.
Regional and national “jackpot” shows that bring together pigs from different farms in the spring cause new flu variants to spread across the country. In the summer and fall, county or state fairs attended by a larger number of children and their pigs also pose risks. The researchers found that about 25% of fairs had at least one pig testing positive for the flu, resulting in wide-spread transmission. Fairs also create situations where large crowds of people come in close contact with pigs, further facilitating spillover.
Dr. Bowman and his team identified certain practices that make swine shows risky. Many shows lacked signage explaining how to use hand sanitation stations, and almost no one used them properly. They also found risks associated with the standard weigh-in procedure, where pigs pressed their noses to sorting panels, allowing for the rapid transmission of the virus.
While some changes have been implemented, such as moving away from mandatory mass weigh-ins and sending pigs home after 72 hours, not all shows have been receptive to these top-down changes. This is why the Ohio State team is also working from the bottom up, focusing on educating young exhibitors about proper biosecurity measures.
At the New Lexington show, the Ohio State team engaged children with activities designed to teach them about hand-washing and biosecurity. The Swientist program has become a staple at swine shows across the country, where children can learn how to keep their pigs and themselves healthy. Initially met with skepticism, the team has built trust with exhibitors by sharing their data and assuring them that they are there to help.
In conclusion, while swine shows may seem like harmless events, they pose a real risk for the spread of diseases. Dr. Bowman and his team are working tirelessly to not only monitor the presence of influenza in pigs but also to educate exhibitors and attendees about the importance of biosecurity measures. By addressing human behavior and implementing necessary changes, they hope to make swine shows safer for both pigs and humans.
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