Cat, ferrets, commercial pigs test positive for H1N1

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture says pigs in a commercial herd in Indiana have tested positive for the swine flu virus.

This is the first instance of swine flu in a commercial herd in the United States.

The USDA says it discovered four tissue samples that tested positive for the virus using its swine surveillance program.

The USDA says the pigs as well as the people caring for the pigs have recovered. The sample was collected in late October.

Last month, tests confirmed several show pigs at the Minnesota State Fair contracted the virus, also known as H1N1.
***

The swine flu virus has been confirmed in a cat treated at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Officials said Wednesday it's the first known case of the virus to be diagnosed in a cat. Veterinarians say the virus has also been confirmed in two ferrets, one in Oregon and the other in Nebraska.

The 13-year-old cat was treated in Ames, Iowa, and is recovering.

The veterinarian who treated the cat, Dr. Brett Sponseller, says two of the three people in the same house had flu-like symptoms before the cat became ill.

The case was confirmed at both Iowa State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Sponseller says the flu is known to spread from humans to pets, but this is the first case of swine flu to spread to a cat.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)