Presence of Senecavirus A in pork sold in the United States

Objective: To estimate the prevalence and concentration of Senecavirus A (SVA) in meat sold at retail. Materials and methods: A total of 190 meat samples derived from 25 processing locations in 13 states were purchased through retail sources. The presence of virus in samples of muscle obtained from each package was assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of SVA nucleic acid. A standard curve was constructed to estimate the concentration of viable virus in PCR-positive samples. Results: Two of the 190 meat samples (1.1%) were positive for SVA nucleic acid, but negative for virus by virus isolation. The amount of virus in the PCR-positive samples was estimated to be less than 14 virions/g of muscle. Implications: The low prevalence of SVA in the 190 retail-meat samples analyzed in this study, combined with a low concentration of SVA nucleic acid in the two SVA-positive samples, suggest a low risk for transmitting SVA through retail meat.