PRRS has challenged producers and swine veterinarians for decades. During that time, outbreak management and strategies have evolved along with the virus.
US pig producers know that many different strains of PRRS exist, but the continual emergence of new sub-lineages continues to destabilize progress towards PRRS control,...
US producers and veterinarians have seen an influx of different types of influenza viruses in the last 10 to 15 years, and that is a major reason why influenza is more...
DISCOVERIES, Issue 26: It’s well known that modified-live PRRS vaccines help reduce production losses in breeding herds with PRRS. But when the challenge is...
Influenza A virus in swine (IAV-S) is increasingly challenging for US producers, primarily because the epidemiology of IAV-S involves a highly diverse pool of viruses.
DISCOVERIES, Issue 28: Vaccination as early as 1 day of age with Fostera® PRRS coupled with the vaccine’s long duration of immunity can help pork producers stem the...
Farm staff should be mindful of the role they play in controlling influenza. A University of Minnesota study showed that more than a quarter of farm staff tested...
DISCOVERIES, Issue 29: IAV-S continues to frustrate US pork producers. From respiratory problems to reproductive challenges, this rapidly changing virus negatively...
Challenges associated with controlling porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) have resulted in the increased use of molecular diagnostic tests and...
Influenza-A virus of swine (IAV-S) is a thorn in the side of US pork producers, and it’s a difficult thorn to remove. If the virus were more pathogenic, veterinarians...
DISCOVERIES, Issue 27: Pharmacologic research demonstrating how Draxxin® (tulathromycin) injection behaves in the pig explains why this antimicrobial remains a...
DISCOVERIES, Issue 22: A robust body of research explains the efficacy of Excede® for Swine (ceftiofur crystalline free acid) against four of the bacterial pathogens...
Swine viruses have been shown to hitch a ride in feed and feed ingredients, thereby increasing the infection risk. To address this, the swine industry has applied a...
US producers have seen the devastating impact of African swine fever (ASF) in other countries. The ultimate goal is to keep it out of this country, so industry groups...
Effective PCV2 control relies on vaccination of healthy pigs before they become infected. This goal cannot be accomplished in unstable herds whose sows give birth to...
Scientists have found that tiny microorganisms in the gut may help improve outcomes for pigs vaccinated against PRRSV in the face of viral respiratory challenge,...
According to research, swine influenza A viruses have become more complicated in recent years. There is a great deal of diversity within the influenza virus.
The “Five Freedoms” have been the foundation for establishing sound animal welfare practices since they were developed in 1965. Now, more than 50 years later,...
Biosecurity protocols are critical to keeping the US hog herd healthy, and one of the regular tasks is to disinfect a wide range of supplies entering the farm, but how...
Piglet processing fluids have been shown to be a practical, time-efficient and affordable diagnostic tool for PRRS, and some indications suggest that PCV2 offers...
For the past 18 months Scott Dee, DVM, director of research at Pipestone Veterinary Services, has been investigating whether feed mitigants can protect against the...
For both the sow and piglet, an animal that does not perform to its potential or falls behind its counterparts will negatively impact the sow farm’s productivity and...
Many sow farms have undergone M. hyo elimination within their breeding herd, which makes it critical to understand the potential transmission risk from boar studs.
Porcine circovirus type 2 is the principal etiological agent of porcine circovirus associated disease (PCVAD), which can cost producers an estimated $3 to $4 per pig.
PCV3 was first reported in 2016, but appears to have been present in swine populations decades prior to that time. PCV3 strains are similar to one another but are very...
PRRSV is constantly evolving, resulting in an extremely diverse virus with multiple lineages, but building a better understanding of that genetic diversity is the next...
A pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a dramatic, easy-to-identify event within the farrowing room. The difficult part is figuring out the cause and applying a solution.
Helping piglets make a smooth transition at weaning is always a priority, but bacterial pathogens such as Streptococcus suis and Haemophilus parasuis can make that goal...
In the past 30 years, the growth and body composition of US market hogs has changed dramatically, but the same cannot be said for dietary vitamin and mineral levels.
Between tight margins and constant herd-health challenges, pork producers are always looking for new ways to increase efficiencies and profits while also increasing...
The so-called Internet of Things — that emerging world in which everyday tools like thermostats and doorbells suddenly become indispensable smart devices — is not...
There’s no shortage of swine-health issues that would benefit from research investment, but when it comes to allocating Pork Checkoff funds, producers make the...
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed an algorithm that could give pig farms advance notice of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV)...
The evolution of knowledge about PRRS is now enabling pork producers and their veterinarians to make headway combatting this difficult and costly disease.
Testing fluids obtained from routine castration and tail-docking procedures looks to be a promising, practical and affordable way to improve monitoring for PRRSV.
An employee-training program focused on online training followed by tracked, in-barn verification experiences helped a start-up farm achieve top piglet-survival rates,...
Oral-fluid sampling is an easy way to detect PRRSV or track changes in PRRSV infections in populations — and it can optimize your survey efforts by keeping a few...
Modified-live vaccines are “by far” the most effective tool the industry currently has to control PRRSV, said Jay Calvert, PhD, research director, Global...
Transport biosecurity is a growing priority as evidence shows that contaminated livestock trailers are a significant risk in spreading viruses between herds.
The Swine Health Monitoring Project continues to expand but ultimately needs data from 90% of the industry to reach its long-term goal of supporting the response to...
Producers and veterinarians have reduced the impact of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) by more than $83 million over the past 6 years,...
Urine sampling is a reliable way to detect procaine penicillin G (PPG) residues prior to processing and may help producers avoid processing-plant violations, according...
The diagnosis of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo) infection remains challenging but can be made with confidence when a systematic approach is applied and the clinical...
For as long as any pork producer can remember, fall’s arrival traditionally was a signal to add a respiratory antibiotic to the grower-finisher rations or, at the...
A virtual veterinary clinic that monitors pig-disease trends and provides an early alert system for diagnostic laboratories and swine practitioners is helping the US...
Three porcine circovirus (PCV) vaccines compared in a recent study equally protected pigs against PCV type 2d and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, but there were some...
Oral-fluid sampling can provide a simple, reliable way to surveil for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), Marisa Rotolo, DVM, of Iowa State...
Scientists at Michigan State University (MSU) are hoping to help pig producers improve herd welfare thanks to a $1 million project aimed at finding ways to breed out...
In 2013-2014, infection of pig farms with PEDV was a frequent event, even in farms using the highest level of biosecurity. In an effort to determine how this could...
By Maria Jose Clavijo, DVM, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Veterinary Diagnostics and Production Animal Medicine
College of Veterinary Medicine
Iowa...
For biosecurity to be effective, everyone working within the farm needs to understand and comply with the defined protocols. In reality, a person’s attitude can make...
The biosecurity of swine feed is important for producing healthy animals and safe pork. But until 2013, feed was considered a low-risk vehicle for transmitting viral...
Paying closer attention to both sow live weight and back-fat depth could help farmers improve reproductive performance in breeding herds, scientists report.
A study of the way swine breeding herds were likely infected with Senecavirus A (SVA) underscores the importance of encouraging adherence to biosecurity procedures.
Sow parity appears to have no effect on the incidence and timing of influenza infection in piglets, indicates a study presented at the 2017 annual meeting of the...
Colostrum may be the best sample to test for determining whether porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is present in sow herds, according to researchers at Iowa State...
Understanding the transmission route of a disease pathogen, how long it’s infective, its survivability in the environment and routes of infection all build the...
When PEDV devastated the US hog industry in 2013, the Pipestone System remained fairly unscathed, with only a couple of farms experiencing outbreaks. Their luck changed...
It takes 3 to 4 weeks for pigs to develop immunity against PRRSV after vaccination with a modified-live vaccine, so vaccinating early gives them the time they need to...
The porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) taught swine veterinarians and producers many hard lessons about feed management. Not only can the deadly virus be...
Unloading docks at processing plants may be one way that livestock trailers become contaminated with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV).
Contaminated hog trailers are now known to be partially responsible for spreading the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in 2013 as it emerged in the US.
Taking oropharyngeal swabs — that is, samples from the tonsils — appears to be an effective alternative means for detecting PRRSV in wean-age pigs, especially when...
Commonly used disinfectants can have substantially different efficacy and should be tested against the pathogen of concern — and under the conditions of use —...
Snout wipes are a practical and efficient method of detecting influenza A virus in swine (IAV-S), according to a study presented at the 2017 annual meeting of the...
Castrating male piglets to prevent boar taint at market age is a common occurrence on US hog farms. However, as consumer interest in on-farm practices and animal...