1. New findings advance African swine fever vaccine efforts
VAX4ASF consortium meets in Hungary to advance understanding of the virus and immune protection.
By Industry Release
National Hog Farmer
June 1, 2026
The European research project VAX4ASF (New Technologies for African Swine Fever Vaccines) has reported new scientific findings that support ongoing efforts to develop vaccines against African swine fever, following its second General Assembly held on 5-6 May 2026 in?Gödöllo, Hungary.? Hosted by the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), the meeting brought together scientists, industry experts and stakeholders from across Europe and Africa to review progress and coordinate the next phase of research.?
ASF?remains?a major concern for animal health and the pig farming sector, with no widely available vaccine currently in use. Against this backdrop, the VAX4ASF project is working to improve understanding of the virus and?identify?strategies that could support future vaccine development. Among the results presented, researchers reported progress in?identifying?viral genes involved in how African swine fever virus interacts with the host immune response.
A group of candidate genes has been linked to the modulation of type I interferon pathways, which are central to the body's antiviral defense. Laboratory studies?indicate?that some of these genes can influence immune signaling, offering new insight into mechanisms associated with viral virulence. This knowledge helps to?identify?potential targets that may be relevant for the design of attenuated or replication-limited vaccine candidates.?
Oregon Horse Tests Positive for EHV-1
EDCC Health Watch
EquiManagement.com
June 1, 2026
According to the State Department of Agriculture, one horse in Yamhill County, Oregon, has tested positive for equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). The horse is quarantined, and four additional horses have been exposed.
Full text: https://equimanagement.com/news/edcc-health-watch/oregon-horse-tests-positive-for-ehv-1-2/
UC Davis Researchers Identify Genetic Cause for Fatal Neurologic Disease in Foals
Edited Press Release
ThePlaidHorse.com
June 1, 2026
Researchers at the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, led by Dr. Carrie Finno and graduate student Briana Brown, have reported the genetic cause of a fatal neurologic disease, equine juvenile spinocerebellar ataxia (EJSCA), in American Quarter Horse foals. A genetic test is available through the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (VGL).
Foals with EJSCA display incoordination within the first month of life. The disease damages axons, the nerve fibers that allow the brain and spinal cord to communicate. As these pathways deteriorate, communication is interrupted or lost, so foals do not know where their legs are in relation to the ground, leading to issues with movement and balance. The disease progresses rapidly, causing severe weakness in the hind limbs and difficulty standing. There is no treatment or cure, and affected foals are humanely euthanized.
"This is one of the most devastating diseases that I have seen in 20 years as an equine veterinarian," said Finno. "These foals progress from looking completely normal, to slightly uncoordinated, to unable to stand in a matter of days. It is devastating to their owners and breeders."
Research performed at UC Davis identified an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, meaning that a foal needs two copies of the causative variant to become affected. Parents with one copy of the EJSCA variant (i.e. carriers) are not affected but can pass the disease variant on to their offspring.
3. Equine Researchers Secure Over $1.8 Million USDA Funding for Horse Health Studies
At the University of Kentucky, multiple awards will support research on foal pneumonia, rotavirus, vaccination response, inflammation and early pregnancy loss in horses.
By Edited Press Release
TheHorse.com
May 28, 2026
University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment researchers have received awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, totaling more than $1.8 million to address some of the most pressing health challenges facing horses and the equine industry.
The projects, led by Department of Veterinary Science faculty working across infectious disease, immunology, reproduction and musculoskeletal health, reflect UK's broad role in equine research and its connection to Kentucky's signature industry.
The funded studies include work on non-antibiotic treatments for Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals, the genetic diversity of equine rotaviruses, the possible effect of joint corticosteroid injections on vaccine protection, the relationship between anti-inflammatory drug use and chronic musculoskeletal inflammation, and a long-sought biological signal tied to early pregnancy maintenance in mares.
4. USDA officially delays poultry payment rule effective date
AMS received over 2,800 comments on its proposal seeking more time to consider Poultry Grower Payment Systems final rule.
Feedstuffs
May 29, 2026
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced May 28 it has delayed the effective date of the Poultry Grower Payment Systems and Capital Improvement Systems final rule from July 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2027.
USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service published the final rule on Jan. 16, 2025, which was promulgated in support of President Biden's Executive Order 14036 on July 9, 2021, and had an effective date of July 1, 2026. The rule was revoked by President Trump via Executive Order 14337 on Aug. 13, 2025, according to USDA.
The rule was intended to level the playing field for farmers who raise chickens under contract to poultry processors by increasing transparency and fairness in the poultry grower ranking system, or "tournament system." The rule prohibits certain payment practices in contract production for broiler chickens, requires poultry processors to adopt policies and procedures for operating a fair ranking system growers and directs processors to provide information on additional capital investments they will require the growers to make as a condition of their contract.
Full text: https://www.feedstuffs.com/policy/usda-officially-delays-poultry-payment-rule-effective-date
5. UNL team to target high-risk avian strains with new vaccine strategy
Prior studies with the Epigraph approach demonstrated its ability to build broad immunity to swine flu viruses in pigs.
By University of Nebraska-Lincoln
National Hog Farmer
May 29, 2026
A University of Nebraska-Lincoln research effort aims to strengthen defenses against future flu pandemics by advancing a vaccine designed to provide strong, durable immunity against multiple high-risk avian strains.
By targeting both mutating surface proteins and more stable viral components, the approach could create a universal vaccine capable of guarding against viruses with pandemic potential.
Backed by a new $4 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health, Husker virologist Eric Weaver will build on his team's prior research with the Epigraph vaccine strategy, which was shown to be superior to traditional flu vaccines in building broad cellular immunity and lasting - potentially decades long - protection.
6. Louisiana changes chronic wasting disease rules as scientists warn of risks
Bu Jon Ross Myers
TippahNews.com
May 31, 2026
BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana lawmakers have tightened rules for when wildlife officials can restrict baiting and feeding near chronic wasting disease cases and advanced a bill that would legalize rehabilitation of white-tailed deer, actions scientists say could undermine containment efforts.
The Louisiana Senate resolution directs the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to establish management zones within 5 and 15 miles of confirmed chronic wasting disease cases detected during annual surveillance, and to collect samples from up to 300 deer from July 1 to June 30 for testing, the resolution says. The measure ties restrictions on baiting and feeding to measured disease prevalence: if sampling shows less than 2.5% prevalence, baiting and feeding would be allowed; if prevalence exceeds 2.5% officials can restrict those activities in the 5- and 15-mile zones, the resolution says. The measure also says baiting and feeding would be allowed if prevalence exceeds 20% of the projected population.
The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine houses the Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, one of 31 U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved labs to test for chronic wasting disease, and it tests as many as 120 samples a day during hunting season, according to LSU. Scientists warn that scaling back measures that keep healthy deer from infected animals and contaminated environments could increase spread of the fatal disease.