Farmscape for September 14, 2026

Research conducted by the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization shows porcine mammary cells can support attachment and growth of the H5N1 influenza virus.
Findings from an H5N1 swine risk project conducted by the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan funded by the Swine Health Information Center, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and the Pork Checkoff that examined the growth of Influenza A virus in porcine mammary tissues, non-mammary tissues and derived cells have been published in the Journal of Virology.
Swine Health Information Center Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton says understanding how the virus attaches and binds to specific porcine cells provides insight into how it affects swine and will further the development of measures to protect, mitigate and respond to potential infection.

Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center:
This study was intended to provide insights into whether porcine mammary tissue and other non-mammary tissue could serve as a site for viral replication and assess if bovine H5N1 viruses could survive in the porcine respiratory tract.
This is very important to be able to understand transmission dynamics of this virus to develop both surveillance and response strategies.
The findings show that porcine cells can support attachment and growth and this provides insight into sites for viral replication in swine.
This is important because it helps to determine what potential surveillance strategies should be used, what are potential risks, and how to perform risk assessment and improve our preparedness against potential infection in swine.
However, it is important that the researchers noted that work in the lab on these cells does not necessarily represent what has been seen in live swine infection studies because those studies show a different clinical picture than what was seen in the cell studies alone.

The direct link to the  Journal of Virology article and additional information can be accessed  through SHIC's August eNewsletter at swinehealth.org.
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Bruce Cochrane.

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