Mexico says pig die-off due to salmonella, pneumonia

Mexican authorities breathed a sigh of relief Friday when experts determined that a die-off of pigs in December at a local slaughterhouse was due to salmonella and Pasteurellosis, a commonly occurring infection, and not African swine fever.

Mexico's agriculture department said 220 pigs at a slaughterhouse in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit were culled as a precaution.

It said experts also detected Mycoplasmal Pneumonia, a common lung disease in pigs.

The pigs started dying around Christmas, and were buried in a pit to avoid them further contaminating the food chain.

It was determined the pigs did not have swine flu, which can sometimes jump to humans, or African swine fever. African swine fever can cause huge losses and force the culling of entire herds. It has been detected in China and parts of Europe.