Texas Administrative Code
Title 4 - AGRICULTURE
Part 2 - TEXAS ANIMAL HEALTH COMMISSION
Chapter 55 - SWINE
Section 55.5 - Pseudorabies
Universal Citation: 4 TX Admin Code ยง 55.5
Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) Definitions. The following words and terms, when used in this section, shall have the following meanings, unless indicated otherwise.
(1) Approved feeder-pig
market--A livestock market where only feeder pigs from the following herds of
origin are accepted for sale in accordance with federal interstate regulations
and applicable provisions of the federal program standards:
(A) All swine must originate in a qualified
pseudorabies-negative herd;
(B) All
swine must originate in a pseudorabies-monitored feeder-pig herd;
(C) Each animal must have an official 30-day
pseudorabies serologic test; or
(D)
All swine must originate from a state that has achieved Pseudorabies
Eradication Program status of Stage IV or V .
(2) Approved slaughter market--A livestock
market at which shipments of slaughter swine only are permitted in accordance
with applicable state and federal regulations. No swine may be released from an
approved slaughter market unless consigned directly to a recognized
slaughtering establishment for immediate slaughter.
(3) Commercial Production Swine (Commercial
Swine)--Those swine that are continuously managed and have adequate facilities
and practices to prevent exposure to either high-risk domestic (transitional
production) swine or feral swine.
(4) Commission--Texas Animal Health
Commission.
(5) Continuous flow
feeder facility --A premises where there is a constant population of swine in
various stages of finish, being fed for slaughter purposes.
(6) Direct shipment--Movement without
unloading en route, without contact with swine of lesser pseudorabies status,
and without contact with infected or exposed livestock.
(7) Executive Director--Executive Director of
the Texas Animal Health Commission.
(8) Farm of origin--A farm where the swine
were born or on which they have resided for at least 90 consecutive days
immediately prior to movement.
(9)
Infected Herd--Any herd in which any swine have been determined to be infected
with pseudorabies virus by a designated State or Federal veterinarian whose
diagnosis is supported by official pseudorabies test results.
(10) Official random-sample test (95/5)--A
sampling procedure utilizing official pseudorabies serologic tests which
provides a 95% probability of detecting infection in a herd in which at least
5.0% of the swine are seropositive for pseudorabies. Each segregated group of
swine on an individual premises must be considered a separate herd and sampled
as follows:
(A) less than 100 head--test 45 or
entire herd, whichever is the smaller;
(B) 100-200 head--test 51;
(C) 201-999 head--test 57;
(D) 1,000 head and over--test 59.
(11) Official pseudorabies
tests--Tests for the diagnosis of pseudorabies approved by USDA-APHIS-VS. Those
tests are:
(A) microtitration serum-virus
neutralization;
(B) virus isolation
and identification;
(C) fluorescent
antibody tissue section;
(D) Enzyme
Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), specifically PRV-gB-ELISA or
PRV-gpI-ELISA;
(E) latex
agglutination; and
(F) Particle
Concentration Fluorescence Immunoassay (PCFIA), including the gpI PCFIA test.
(12) High-Risk Domestic
Swine--Captive swine located in feral swine areas in which management practices
allow for possible exposure via direct or indirect feral swine contact.
High-risk domestic swine are formerly referred to as transitional or
transitional production swine.
(b) Commercial Swine. To qualify as a producer of commercial swine, the producer must implement sufficient safeguards, including, but not limited to management practices, perimeter fencing, and confinement to prevent commingling and nose to nose contact with feral or high-risk domestic swine. Feral swine shall not be commingled with commercial swine.
(c) Animal Identification. Breeding swine sold or destined for slaughter are required to be identified to the farm of origin using a method recognized by the commission.
(d) Movement Restrictions: All herds suspected of pseudorabies will be placed under movement restrictions and investigated pending final determination. Final determination of the presence or absence of pseudorabies in a herd shall be made by the investigating veterinarian in consultation with an epidemiologist designated by the Executive Director. Official diagnosis shall be based on an official pseudorabies test.
(e) Pseudorabies Management of Infected, Exposed or Area Herds.
(1) If an animal is determined to be infected
with pseudorabies, it shall be identified by placing an approved reactor tag in
the left ear. The infected herd shall be disposed of within 15 days after test
results are reported. Disposition may include destruction or permitted movement
to slaughter by a VS Form 1-27.
(2)
Following a determination that a herd is infected, a herd plan to eradicate the
disease from a swine herd will be developed. The plan shall be developed by a
State or Federal veterinarian in consultation with the herd owner or caretaker
and his or her veterinarian. The plan shall include provisions for release of
quarantine as specified in this subsection. The plan developed by the
commission shall be final and the owner or caretaker will be provided a
copy.
(3) All exposed herds will be
placed under movement restrictions, using a quarantine or hold order, until
negative diagnostic test results are determined.
(4) All swine herds within a 2.0 mile radius
of infected premises will be monitored either by a test of all breeding swine
or an official random sample test. All exposed swine herds as determined by
epidemiological investigation and all swine herds within 2 miles of the new
case shall be tested with an official random-sample test (95/5). Testing of the
herds must be accomplished, with negative test results, no earlier than 30 days
and no later than 60 days after depopulation of the affected herd and of the
premises.
(5) Swine showing
clinical signs of pseudorabies shall not be removed from the premises. Swine on
a quarantined premises not showing clinical signs of pseudorabies may be moved
only directly to a slaughter plant and accompanied by a permit issued by a
state or federal inspector, or may be shipped directly to a slaughter plant in
an official sealed vehicle when accompanied by a permit.
(6) Vehicles used for slaughter delivery of
movement-restricted swine will be cleaned and disinfected immediately after
unloading and prior to loading with other livestock.
(7) Movement restrictions will be released in
the following instances:
(A) when all reactor
animals have been removed from the premises;
(B) when there have been no clinical signs of
pseudorabies on the premises after removal of the reactor swine; and
(C) when all exposed swine over six months of
age along with a number of progeny equal to 20% of the breeding swine selected
from the oldest portion of swine under six months of age remaining in the herd
have withstood one negative herd test. The test must be conducted not less than
30 days from removal of last infected animals. Herd additions must be tested
negative prior to being added to the herd, remain on the premises 30 or more
days, and be retested negative; or
(D) when all swine on the premises are
depopulated; the premises is cleaned and disinfected under the direction of
state or federal personnel and 30 days have passed with no swine on the
premises following cleaning and disinfecting.
(f) Pseudorabies Vaccine.
(1) Vaccination of swine with a pseudorabies
vaccine is prohibited without written permission of the Executive Director.
Written permission may be granted only for use in high-risk herds or as part of
an approved herd cleanup plan.
(2)
Approved pseudorabies vaccine shall be a product for which there is a
laboratory test approved by the Executive Director available to differentiate
between vaccine and field infection titers.
(3) The Executive Director will restrict the
sale of approved pseudorabies vaccine to a TAHC Authorized Veterinarian for use
only in infected and high-risk herds. The Executive Director will request a
specific number of doses of vaccine to be shipped to the TAHC Authorized
Veterinarian making the request.
(4) The herd owner will sign a memorandum of
understanding with the commission, and the TAHC Authorized Veterinarian will be
accountable for the vaccine and its use by signing an agreement to this
effect.
(5) All vaccinated animals
shall be marked with a hole punched in the left ear of not less than 1/2 inch
in diameter at the time of vaccination or other form of identification approved
by the commission.
(6) The movement
restrictions will be released as provided for in this section utilizing an
approved test that will identify vaccine titers.
(g) Qualified pseudorabies negative herd.
(1) Qualified pseudorabies negative herd
status is attained by 100% testing of the adult breeding herd over six months
of age plus a number of progeny equal to 20% of the breeding swine population
in the herd and finding them negative to an official pseudorabies serologic
test. Progeny shall be randomly selected from the oldest swine in the herd less
than six months of age. The herd must not have been a known infected herd
within the past 30 days. A minimum of 90% of the swine in the herd must have
been on the premises and part of the herd for at least 90 days prior to the
qualifying official pseudorabies serologic test or have entered directly from
another qualified pseudorabies negative herd.
(2) Qualified pseudorabies negative herd
status is maintained by conducting an official pseudorabies serologic test at
least once each year on at least 80% of the swine over six months of age and on
a number of progeny equal to 20% of the breeding swine population of the herd.
All swine tested shall be randomly selected and in the case of adult swine,
representative of all age groups on the premises. This must be accomplished by
testing 25% of the required breeding swine and progeny every 80 to 105 days and
finding all swine so tested negative, or by testing 10% of the required
breeding swine and progeny each month and finding all swine so tested negative.
No swine shall be tested twice in one year to comply with the 25% requirement
or twice in 10 months to comply with the 10% requirement.
(3) If on a qualifying official pseudorabies
serologic test or any subsequent official pseudorabies test, any swine are
tested positive, qualified pseudorabies negative herd status is suspended until
the infection status of the herd is determined through testing and an
epidemiological study of the herd. Before qualified pseudorabies negative herd
status may be attained or regained, all seropositive swine must be sold for
slaughter and the herd tested and released from movement restrictions as
provided for in subsections (e) and (g) of this section.
(4) All swine intended to be added to a
qualified pseudorabies negative herd shall be isolated until the swine are
tested negative on two official pseudorabies serologic tests, one conducted 30
days or more after the swine have been placed in isolation and the second
conducted 30 days or more after the first test, unless any of the following
exceptions apply:
(A) Swine intended to be
added to a qualified pseudorabies negative herd directly from another qualified
pseudorabies negative herd may be added without isolation or testing;
(B) Swine intended to be added to a qualified
pseudorabies negative herd from another qualified pseudorabies negative herd,
but with interim contact with swine other than those from a single qualified
pseudorabies negative herd, shall be isolated until the swine have been found
negative to an official pseudorabies serologic test, conducted 30 days or more
after the swine have been placed in isolation; or
(C) Swine returned to the herd after contact
with swine other than those from a single qualified pseudorabies negative herd
shall be isolated until the swine have been found negative to an official
pseudorabies serologic test conducted 30 days or more after the swine have been
placed in isolation.
(5) Test records will be maintained by the
commission at its Central Office. Herd owners or caretakers will receive a
letter from the Executive Director's designee listing test dates, test results,
the laboratory in which the test was run, and the qualified herd status of the
herd.
(h) Requirements for a pseudorabies-monitored feeder-pig herd. To qualify as a pseudorabies-monitored feeder-pig herd, breeding swine must sample and test negative to an official pseudorabies serologic test during the last 12 months at the following rate:
(1) 10 head--test
all;
(2) 11 to 35 head--test
10;
(3) 36 head or more--test 30%
or 30, whichever is less. Breeding swine that are tested are to be selected at
random from all age groups, including herd boars, with all groups to be
proportionately represented.
(i) Requirements for continuous flow feeder facilities in which there are no breeding animals on the premises. When provisions of the State-Federal-Industry Program Standards for Pseudorabies Eradication require surveillance testing of these feeder facilities for advancement of the state to the next stage of the eradication program, one of the following methods will be used to satisfy this requirement.
(1) Collection of blood from a random sample
of swine in the feeder facility in the following representation:
(A) less than 100 head in the feeder facility
--test 25;
(B) 100-200 head--test
27;
(C) 201-999 head--test
28;
(D) 1,000 head and over--test
29.
(2) Collection of
blood from swine consigned from a feeder facility at slaughter using the
criteria shown in paragraph (1) of this subsection, to determine the number of
swine to be tested.
(j) Owner assistance. If ordered by the commission or its representative, the owner or caretaker of swine shall submit the swine and furnish labor and facilities used in normal operation in order that the swine may be tested, vaccinated, or otherwise handled in accordance with this chapter.
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