Which of the following would be consistent with swine vesicular disease (SVD), the disease caused by an enterovirus in the Picornaviridae family?

• A. Pigs are the only species naturally infected
• B. It is often spread by feeding pigs pork scraps
• C. The pigs have had contact with someone who has just returned from an endemic area
• D. All of the above

Answer: (D)

Swine vesicular disease is a vesicular illness of pigs caused by an enterovirus in the Picornaviridae family. Pigs are the primary natural host, with other species rarely affected. Transmission is classically through feeding pigs pork scraps that contain infectious virus (swill feeding), a well-established route for introducing SVD into herds. The virus can also be carried on hands, clothing, or equipment by people who have handled infected material or traveled from areas where the disease is endemic, leading to spread to a new herd. Because each of these routes aligns with how SVD behaves and spreads in swine populations, all of the above scenarios are consistent with swine vesicular disease.