The study of pig farm workers and residents in Wisconsin found that 17 of 74 had antibodies to swine flu viruses in their blood, indicating they'd been infected. In contrast, only 1 of 114 blood samples taken from the general population harbored such antibodies.
What do these findings mean?
The species barrier between people and pigs may be easier for a virus to cross than previously thought. Also, a pig respiratory tract is receptive to both human and bird flu viruses, making the animal a potential breeding ground in which a mutant virus could evolve and possibly be transmitted to people.
It's unclear whether infection with a swine flu virus could produce an illness any different from the everyday flu.
Emerging Infectious Diseases 2002;8:814-819
Pork is actually good meat from a biochemical perspective, but I believe there is more than enough scientific evidence to justify the reservations or outright prohibitions in many cultures against consuming it. Pigs are scavenger animals and will eat just about anything. Their appetite for less-than-wholesome foods makes pigs a breeding ground for potentially dangerous infections. Even cooking pork for long periods is not enough to kill many of the retroviruses and other parasites that they could harbor.
This is why the eating plan excludes pork. It's likely that eating pork occasionally might be fine, but it's a risk and the more you consume it the more likely it is that you will acquire an infection.
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