YOUR CONCLUSIONS

So, what is your list of important findings?

• vesicles on snout and feet of backyard raised swine; one has a slight fever; management is "backyard" style - pigs are kept outside, with little shade and have access to household garbage

• other animals on the premise are apparently healthy

• there is a history of recent travel - family member returned home recently from countries that currently have vesicular diseases of swine

All lead to a possible diagnosis of any of the vesicular diseases to which swine are susceptible.  Think about which of the following diseases would be most possible:

foot-and-mouth disease

vesicular stomatitis

swine vesicular disease

vesicular exanthema of swine

other:  Chemical or thermal burns; photosensitization

However, whenever there is a suspected vesicular disease, it is imperative that the federal and/or state authorities be notified.  For a complete description of the chain of events in a foreign animal disease investigation, please visit the module "ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL AND STATE AGENCIES IN CONTROLLING EXOTIC ANIMAL DISEASES". Within hours, a specially trained Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostician (FADD) will be at the site. This individual is trained in the collection and packaging of samples needed at the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Plum Island,  to allow an accurate diagnosis.  If necessary, an Emergency Response Team (ERT), consisting of a FADD, a pathologist and an epidemiologist will visit the site and do further investigations.

What did they find?