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Swine play a significant role in the transmission of influenza virus. Unlike most other respiratory viruses, influenza type A viruses can cross species barriers, providing reservoirs in which reassortment of the virus's segmented genome can readily occur. Two articles address the role of swine in the occurrence of both seasonal and novel-variant strains.
The first report is an analysis of whether people living near swine production facilities are at increased risk for acquiring influenza virus infection. The authors mapped the location of these facilities in North Carolina, the second largest swine-producing state in the U.S., and examined any spatiotemporal associations between proximity to swine and the incidence of seasonal influenza case…