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- Pigs were planted: Aujeski's disease could get into the vaccine for dogs through infected blood
Pigs were planted: Aujeski's disease could get into the vaccine for dogs through infected blood
The live virus of Aujeski's disease was found in the "Multican-8" vaccine series. The Rosselkhoznadzor confirmed this and ordered the destruction of the drug, and the manufacturer suspended the release of the entire line. Experts named several possible causes of the incident, from contaminated raw materials to production disruptions. "Izvestia" found out how dangerous the pathogen found in the drug is and whether it can be transmitted to humans.
What is Auyeski?
Aujesky's disease, or pseudobesanity, is a herpesvirus, the natural host of which is pigs, veterinarian Sergey Ivanov told "Izvestia" (first and last name changed at the request of the speaker).
— In pigs, the infection proceeds in different ways: piglets often die, but adults, as a rule, get over it and remain lifelong carriers. Under stress, the virus can "wake up" again, the expert explained. — Therefore, pigs serve as its natural reservoir. For other species — dogs, cats, large and small cattle, fur—bearing animals - this infection is almost always fatal. Infected animals become dead-end hosts: the disease develops rapidly and ends in death.
In dogs, the first symptoms usually appear 2-9 days after infection. They become restless and suffer from severe itching, most often in the area of the head, muzzle, neck, or injection site. The dog can scratch and gnaw the skin to deep wounds. Then begins profuse salivation, difficulty swallowing, hoarse barking or howling, unsteady gait and seizures.
— Death occurs within 24-72 hours after the first symptoms appear, — said Sergey Ivanov. — At the same time, unlike rabies, there is usually no aggression, and the temperature can remain normal.
In mid-August 2026, dog owners began to report similar symptoms in pets after vaccination. The first complaints were received from the Yaroslavl, Kaliningrad, Tver, Moscow and Tyumen regions, as well as from Moscow, St. Petersburg and Saratov. According to the owners, after vaccination, the animals initially felt fine, but after a few days their condition deteriorated sharply. In some cases, the dogs died.
""Vetbiochim", the manufacturer of the vaccine, then recalled the "Multican-8" No. 20 series of the drug and began an internal investigation, including the collection of data on possible complications. Later, the Rosselkhoznadzor joined the inspection. At the end of August, the head of the department, Sergei Dankvert, said that, according to the preliminary version, the technology could have been disrupted during the production of the vaccine. He noted that according to the results of the audit, serious consequences are not excluded for the company, up to the revocation of the license.
""As a result, live Auyeski disease virus was found in samples of the 20-series "Multican-8" vaccine, selected in the Yaroslavl region," the Rosselkhoznadzor told Izvestia. It was decided to destroy the drug.
""Vetbiochim", meanwhile, seized about 50 thousand units of the vaccine, said the "Izvestia" deputy director of the company Evgeny Shmelkov. However, the organization does not know how the virus ended up in the drug. ""Vetbiochim" has completely suspended production of the entire "Multican" line for the period of the internal investigation and inspections.
How could the virus get into "Multican-8"
The official cause of the incident has not yet been established, but experts are considering several versions. One of them is that the Auyeski disease virus could enter the vaccine along with an infected cellular substrate. Vaccine viruses are grown on cell cultures, which themselves may contain foreign viruses. Porcine cell lines and cell banks pose a particular risk in this case.
— A textbook precedent in world practice is the detection of porcine circovirus in human rotavirus vaccine precisely through the cellular substrate, — said Sergey Ivanov.
Another possible reason is raw materials of animal origin. For cultivation, blood serum, trypsin and other enzymes are used, which are often of porcine or bovine origin. Pork trypsin has historically been one of the main routes of introducing porcine viruses into production.
Among the versions is cross—contamination: the transfer of the virus from one production site to another. If an enterprise or neighboring premises produces vaccines for pig farming using live strains of Aujesky's disease, the virus can enter another drug through equipment, containers, air or personnel. According to the official website of "Vetbiochim", such drugs are produced there.
"Herpesviruses are unstable in the external environment, but if zoning and flow separation are violated, this is quite enough," the specialist emphasized. — Failure to comply with the inactivation regime (partial or complete loss of biological activity. — "Lime"I) could also be the reason. Some of the components in such drugs are inactivated. Failure of the mode or the introduction of the virus after this stage results in a live extraneous agent in the finished product.
A possible violation could be related to the specifics of the production organization, Denis Kolbasov, director of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Veterinary Virology and Microbiology of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, agreed. "Vetbiochim" produces drugs not only for dogs and cats, but also for other animals, so the company can use different strains and produce vaccines for different types of animals.
"The equipment can be used to produce different vaccines: first one batch is produced on it, then another," he explained. — But this is only a version that can only be verified directly at the enterprise.
The expert admitted that the detected component could be used in the manufacture of drugs for pigs, and then get into another vaccine when working on the same line or due to a violation of technological procedures.
— If the Rosselkhoznadzor has pointed out the shortcomings to the company, there is a possibility of a violation of the technology. But without the details of the investigation and an understanding of how the production works, we can only talk about versions," Denis Kolbasov emphasized.
Is Aujeski dangerous for humans
According to Andrey Pozdnyakov, an infectious disease specialist at "Invitro", the Auyeski disease virus belongs to the same family as the herpes simplex and chickenpox viruses, but usually does not cause diseases in humans.
— Pig farming, slaughterhouse work, and veterinary practice mean millions of man—years of contact with the virus, but there have been no documented human cases for a long time. The man was considered immune," he noted. — However, since 2017, several laboratory-confirmed cases have been described in China.: The patients developed severe encephalitis and endophthalmitis, an inflammation of the internal structures of the eye.
Almost all of those who fell ill had professional contact with the virus: among them were slaughterhouse workers, pork skinners, pig breeders and veterinarians. After the emergence of new cases and scientific reviews, the question of the virus's ability to infect humans began to be studied in more detail.
— Therefore, today it is more correct to say this: the virus is not a typical causative agent of human infections, but it is no longer possible to consider people completely immune to it, — said the infectious disease specialist. — At the same time, the described cases are extremely rare and are primarily related to professional contact.
For humans, the most likely route of infection is for material from pigs or raw pork to get on damaged skin or mucous membranes, especially in the eyes. Human-to-human transmission is not described.
— There is practically no risk of infection from a domestic dog. A dog is a dead—end host: the virus does not have time to accumulate in its body and be released into the external environment, because the animal dies earlier," said Andrey Pozdnyakov.
The pathogen itself is unstable: it is inactivated by soap, alcohols, chlorine-containing products, as well as drying and heating.
Aujeski's disease is rare in Russia. According to Mikhail Shelyakov, a veterinarian of the highest qualification category, because of this, specialists cannot always quickly recognize the infection, and the diagnosis is sometimes made at a late stage, when the animal cannot be saved.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
