People aren't the only species with a weapon for fighting off the novel H1N1 flu virus. Hogs can receive one too.
The farm animals got a bad rap when the newest flu strain made itself known in April, as people feared they could contract the virus from consuming pork products, which is unfounded.
There have been no reports of the H1N1 virus present in American swine herds, but a new solution may put any possible fears to rest.
Hank Harris, an animal science professor at Iowa State University, and his startup company, Sirrah Bios, received a $679,663 grant from the state's Grow Iowa Values Fund. The grant supports development of technologies with commercial potential and supports the growth of companies which use those technologies.
Sirrah Bios' newest technological health contribution is a vaccine for hogs against the H1N1 virus.
"I started the company in 2005 to develop a vaccination for porcine reproductive and reproductive syndrome virus in swine," Harris said. "The technology we used with PRRS virus works very well for flu vaccinations as well. When this problem (H1N1) came up, we started working on a vaccine."
Harris, along with Brad Bosworth and Ryan Vander Veen of Iowa State University and the Sirrah Bios crew, used molecular biology to create the vaccine, rather than the traditional method.
"With this technology all one needs is the gene of the surface protein, " Harris said. "In April, the (Centers for Disease Control) published the sequence of the H1N1 virus.
"We took that sequence and created strings of nucleotides that we sent to a company who synthesized the gene for us."
At $1 per strand, Harris and his group sent out 1,700 nucleotides. In three to four weeks, the scientists had their gene.
By June 26, Sirrah Bios had created a vaccine that was ready for testing.
Using a small group of hogs, Harris and his colleagues received results in eight weeks confirming the vaccine's validity.
"The pigs we administered the vaccine to had high antibody titers which held to their hemagglutinin," Harris said. "That showed us those hogs were protected."
The vaccine will not be available for sale until Sirrah Bios receives a United States Department of Agriculture conditional license, which they expect to receive in 2010. In the meantime other companies, like Pfizer, are working on their own H1N1 vaccines for swine.
Iowa is the largest pork producing state in the nation. In 2008, Iowa producers marketed more than 38 million hogs from 8,300 hog operations around the state.
So far, the H1N1 flu virus hasn't affected hogs any differently than other flu strains. When an outbreak occurred within a Canadian herd, the hogs experienced fever and coughing, but recovered fully within four to five days.
"The CDC is not worried about pig to human transfer of the virus," Harris said, "but this vaccination could protect farm workers' health because if it lowers the virus rate in pigs, it lowers the virus rate on the farm overall."
While the vaccine cannot be used commercially yet, if there is an outbreak of H1N1 among hog herds in the U.S., Sirrah Bios's vaccine can be released to veterinarians to administer and prevent the spread of the disease among herds.
Executive director of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, Tom Burkgren, said swine flu vaccines have been around for years, but feels work on this vaccine "shows great foresight."
"It's great to have a vaccine against H1N1 as a form of preparation if the virus does get into U.S. swine herds," Burkgren said. "The main reason for this is to protect pigs and their health. In April we weren't sure how it would affect swine."
Swine farm operators are keeping their ears open concerning the subject.
"Right now, it's our strategy to vaccinate all sows when vaccinations are available," Chad Grouwinkel, manager of Iowa Prestage Farms, said. "This provides a short-term immunity to the offspring."
However, the 115 Prestage farms in Iowa are all for finishing hogs. Grouwinkel said the company is not concerned about H1N1 affecting their Iowa herds at this point.
"We're really taking to heart that pigs can't transfer the virus to humans," Grouwinkel said, "but humans can transfer the virus to pigs. So we're telling all of our employees to stay home from work if they experience any flu-like symptoms at all."
Manson farmer Don Haupts has a small herd of Durocs he shows at fairs, but in years past, Haupts operated a seed stock operation.
"I would always rather use preventive methods with my livestock rather than have to treat them when they get sick," Haupts said. "We gave our herds rabies vaccinations and other preventive inoculations.
"Maybe this one'll be alright. We'll have to wait and see."
Contact Lindsey Ory at (515) 573-2141 or lindsey@messengernews.net.