(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University researchers have created a test to detect a disease that could threaten the state’s pork industry, although it has not been found in the U-S. The test can identify Japanese encephalitis virus, or J-E-V, which is spread by mosquitoes and is related to West Nile and Zika. Rahul Nelli, at I-S-U’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, says most cases of J-E-V in pigs result in mild symptoms, but an outbreak could be very costly.

“The economic losses could be around $600-million for the pork production,” Nelli says, “so that’s a significant impact on our pork industry in Iowa.” Nelli, who led I-S-U’s development of the test, says J-E-V can also be a health threat to humans and other animals, including water birds and horses. The virus is present in Southeast Asia and spread to Australia in 2022. Nelli says the test will identify the virus in samples from pigs, or it can be used to tell when it is spreading in the environment.  “Basically, if you have a mosquito population,” he says, “you can collect mosquitos and collect their DNA and screen whether there is J-E-V around your farm.”

Nelli made his comments on the Iowa Public Radio program “River to River.”