Swine Farms Vary In Their Risk From Endemic PED

Feb 18, 2022

The researchers analyzed data on PED surveillance collected July 2014-June 2021 from 1,100 breeding farms in 27 states. The data came from the Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project at the University of Minnesota, and the researchers identified 625 outbreaks at 373 farms during that time.

Kimberly VanderWaal, PhD, who is one of the article authors and an associate professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, said the project tracks PED in about half the U.S. swine breeding population, and about 7% of those sow farms have a PED outbreak in a typical year. The regions with low incidence could move toward eliminating the virus with a concerted industry effort, she said.

Dr. VanderWaal said the research team also has found that, on average, a typical sow farm would have an outbreak about once every 10 years, down from once in 2.5 years early in the virus’s emergence in the U.S.

The Swine Health Information Center funded the research. Dr. Paul Sundberg, executive director of the SHIC, said the biosecurity measures to keep PED off farms are well known.

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Pat Hoffmann, Swine Technical Consultant at Elanco Animal Health tells us about the impact of New World Screwworm. The emergence of New World screwworm in the U.S. creates a threat for veterinarians, livestock producers and pet owners that has not been seen north of the Florida Keys since the fly was eradicated from the United States more than 50 years ago. New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) larvae feed on living tissue and can affect a wide range of warm-blooded animals, including livestock, companion animals, wildlife, and even humans.
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Elanco is working alongside the U.S. animal health industry to help them fight against this parasite, offering a portfolio of options for pets and livestock that can help treat New World screwworm larvae infestations.