030170 TB Strain in Canadian Hogs Not ThreatJanuary 30, 2003Winnipeg, Canada - The tuberculosis found in Canadian feeder pigs that were exported to the United States was the poultry variant of the disease and was not a threat to humans, Canadian officials said. The poultry or avian tuberculosis is a non-reportable strain for both the US Department of Agriculture and Agriculture Canada, a scientist with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said. "The thing to emphasize is this was poultry TB so it's not reportable," the CFIA's Blaine Thompson said, noting it was unlike the more serious bovine strain of the disease usually found in cattle. "It's more a production disease," Thompson said. "We don't do any disease investigation or quarantining in these herds when it's determined it's poultry TB." Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog and pork prices rose on Friday on traders' speculation that hogs shipped to Iowa had been diagnosed with tuberculosis and that Canadian hog imports could be halted. Traders said the disease had been detected in the hogs' lymph glands and said they believed another 5,000 animals were left to come to market. US Department of Agriculture officials were said to be investigating. The poultry variant of tuberculosis in hogs does not pose a direct threat to human health, said Martin Rice, executive director of the Canadian Pork Council lobby group. "What they are saying is it is not impossible for avian TB to infect a human, but it would not be via pork...from a pig that was infected, it would be via other means," Rice said. Canada exports about 2 million slaughter hogs to the United States each year and about 4 million feeder pigs, or piglets that are raised for eventual slaughter, Rice said.
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