Senecavirus A

Vesicular disease is indistinguishable from foot-and-mouth disease. Senecavirus A can also cause high transient mortality in piglets up to 7 days of age.

Alternative names: seneca virus A, SVA, seneca valley virus, SVV, idiopathic vesicular disease

Senecavirus A (SVA) is a non-enveloped RNA virus from genus Senecavirus and family Picronaviridea which also includes foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus and swine vesicular disease virus.  SVA is not an internationally reportable virus by the OIE, but because its clinical signs are indistinguishable from FMD it is of great importance. Interestingly, SVA is not zoonotic, but it has been investigated in human medicine for its oncolytic properties as a possible treatment for some cancers.

Nursing piglets

• Short term (7-10 day) increase in mortality (30-70%) in piglets less than 7 days old.
• Diarrhea may be present.
• Frequently, dead piglets have milk in their stomach.

All ages

• Loss of appetite.
• High fever.
• Vesicle formation especially on snout and coronary band of feet.
• Lameness.
• No mortality

• The epidemiology of SVA is not fully understood but direct animal contact, fomites, contaminated feed, and possibly insects are all suspected possible means of transmission.
• Disease seems sporadic with some seasonality noted in summer and fall.

• Timely confirmation of diagnosis is critical to rule out FMD.
• Presence of vesicles especially on snout and feet.
• Detection of virus via PCR from vesicular fluid.
• New ELISA assays have been developed to confirm exposure, but use in outbreak investigations is still unknown.

• No vaccines are currently available.
• Strict biosecurity protocols must be enforced to minimize transmission between farms.