Gotcha! 👀😌

🔬🦠 That's what researchers said during a study funded by the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) and conducted at the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab: it is the first to report astrovirus being associated with respiratory pathology in pigs. 

     • The virus had been detected in the upper respiratory tract of pigs with clinical respiratory disease, but until this study came out, an association between the two of them hadn't been demonstrated. While the results don't prove the virus is a cause of the disease, they do provide strong evidence it may be a significant contributor. 

🔎 The next step is determining whether a purified sample of the virus causes bronchitis and coughing in challenged pigs. We can barely wait for more answers… But for now, learn more about the research here.