Overall Rate of PRRS Virus Declined in U.S. in June

Jul 18, 2022

The Associate Director of the Swine Health Information Center reports, in June the overall rate of PRRS in the U.S. fell to its lowest level in 2022. As part of its July enewsletter, the Swine health Information Center has released its monthly domestic and global swine disease surveillance reports.SHIC Associate Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder reports, with the exception of Nebraska and Missouri, we saw an overall decrease in PRRS in the U.S. in June from May.

Clip-Dr. Megan Niederwerder-Swine Health Information Center :

The percent positive that we detected in June is the lowest percent positive rate that we've had in 2022.Overall, this is within the expected range for the country, thinking about that we typically do see a reduction in PRRS virus in these summer months.The Advisory Group has recommended that we continue to stay strict with biosecurity protocols so that we can hopefully reduce the typical increase in PRRS virus that we start to see in those fall months.

We have, however, seen regional increases in PRRS continue in both Nebraska and Missouri so those two states continue to have PRRS virus positive rates above the expected levels, even though the overall PRRS virus is down and at the lowest positive percent rate for the overall country in 2022.The advice would be, in Nebraska and Missouri, to continue to monitor those pigs for increased signs of PRRS virus infection and again maintain biosecurity protocols.

Dr. Niederwerder says a change in the PRRS lineage that could be contributing to the regional increases in those two states has been considered but the specific reason why we're seeing those regional outbreaks has not been identified.

Source : Farmscape.ca

Video: Season 6, Episode 10: Defining Resiliency and the Research Driving Swine Health Forward

Genetic research and new technologies continue to influence the future of swine health and production efficiency. In this episode, we explore how research and technology are being used to support stronger, more resilient pigs, while also improving overall production outcomes. In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Jenelle Dunkelberger, geneticist with Topigs Norsvin, to discuss both routine and emerging strategies for improving piglet, pig, and sow livability. She outlines two primary approaches to enhancing resiliency: gene editing and traditional selective breeding. Continuing the resiliency conversation, we also hear from Dr. Lucina Galina, director of technical research projects at the Pig Improvement Company. She shares insights into ongoing gene-editing work focused on PRRS, detailing the pathway to success, regulatory and practical considerations, and the questions that still remain as the technology evolves. Together, these conversations provide a closer look at how research, genetics and innovation are shaping the future of swine health and livability.