A San Martin ranch is under quarantine after state officials
discovered that half its pigs suffered pseudorabies.
Small custom facility under quarantine since May 11
Gilroy – A San Martin ranch is under quarantine after state officials discovered that half its pigs suffered pseudorabies.
The scary-sounding disease is a swine virus usually transmitted from snout to snout among feral pigs. Pseudorabies can also spread to dogs, cats and cattle; it rarely affects humans, and causes only mild illness when it does.
Though the virus is unrelated to rabies, its symptoms sometimes mimic it, and can include intense scratching, convulsions and abnormal gait. Pigs normally die within a few days of showing symptoms, but may carry the virus without showing symptoms.
State surveyors found a pseudorabies-positive boar at a Modesto facility during routine slaughter surveillance, and traced the boar back to Silva Ranch, located on New Avenue in San Martin.
Three of the ranch’s six remaining swine also tested positive for pseudorabies. May 11, the ranch was quarantined to prevent the virus’ spread, said Steve Lyle, public affairs officer for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
DFA officials killed the pigs, then cleaned and disinfected the property, barring any additional animals from entering the ranch.
Pseudorabies has been eradicated among commercial swine, said Lyle, and was likely introduced to Silva Ranch by feral pigs.
Swine ranchers normally prevent pseudorabies by disinfecting their clothing and shoes and securing their pens, preventing commercial pigs from interacting with wild swine.
Ranch co-owners Tony and Tina Silva could not be reached by press time Monday to comment on how pseudorabies infected their pigs. Neighbors were not notified of the quarantine because there is little human risk associated with pseudorabies, Lyle said.
There are no large-scale commercial swine operations in South County that would be at risk, said Jenny Derry, executive director of the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau.
The small-scale operation at Silva Ranch was described as a custom slaughterhouse by neighbors. Derry knew of only one other such slaughterhouse in the area, operated by Joe Santos on Frazier Lake Road.
Lyle said the outbreak has been contained.
“We’ve done trace-forwards and trace-backs to make sure we have all the potential sources of the disease and have caught every animal that has left the premises,” he said. The quarantine is scheduled to be lifted June 11.
