Page 10 of articles about PRRS in Articles

Over the last several years, new sampling, monitoring and diagnostic tools for the swine industry that are faster, simpler and more cost effective have been developed and validated. One of these techniques is the sampling and use of oral fluids (saliva) as specimens for diagnostics in swine.

Despite the increases in the pork supply, deficit scenarios are expected in the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2011.

The most common problems are due to interference with maternal antibodies and coincidence of vaccination with a recirculation of PRRS: viremic animals.

There is sufficient genetic variation in host response to infection to allow future breeding goals for enhanced resistance or tolerance so that there are grounds to believe that it may be possible to breed commercial animals that have increased genetic resistance or tolerance to the disease.

In reproductive disease, submission of several whole affected litters is advisable to provide material for diagnosis of PRRSV and other diseases causing reproductive or neonatal problems.

Abortions are not always witnessed in yards or extensive systems. Evidence is provided by sudden weight loss and a vulval discharge.

The performance and conformation of the pig (the phenotype) depend on the combined effects of its genetic make-up (the genotype), which is mostly fixed at conception, and the environment, which includes health, nutrition, management, housing and climate.

Since 1987, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRS) has become a global drain on pig productivity, profitability, and many a producers’ morale. One thing that remains certain is PRRS virus continually finds ways to circumvent our best bio-management efforts. PRRS marches on in a ceaseless continuum of antigenic change making current vaccines and other control techniques of limited value.

Pig rearing practices in the country need a lot of improvement considering that about 70% of pigs are on a backyard level.

Between 1995 and 1997, at the beginning of an epizootic called “maladie de l’amagrissement du porcelet” (MAP), it was observed that the farms that were most affected and that had the most losses, generally presented obvious deviations from what we would consider to be a suitable management of the animals and facilities. This is why Dr. François Madec made a list of management practices with the aim of improving the anomalous situation observed.

The use of diagnostics will allow producers and practitioners to work together towards the common goal of PRRS eradication

The first swine influenza viruses were all H1N1 and were for about 60 years in North America. In the middle 1980’s, there appeared in European pigs H3N2 viruses that were derived originally from humans and had adapted to pigs and were therefore known as human-like H3N2 viruses. These viruses have since appeared in other parts of the world most notably as H3N2 in the USA in 1998. These viruses however contained bits of human, avian and swine viruses and were therefore called triple re-assortants.

Preventing vertical and horizontal spread of PRRSV from dam to offspring is critical for the production of naive replacement stock

Trailers contaminated with PRRSV can serve as a source of infection for naïve pigs. Therefore, sanitation for livestock trailers and transport vehicles is considered a high priority when it comes to biosecurity practices.

The presence of subpopulations of exposed and non-exposed sows in chronically PRRSV-infected breeding herds assists in the maintenance of virus circulation in the breeding herd over time.