Swine PRRS Diseases Being Controlled Better in Modern Operations

According to a panel of leading swine veterinarians and disease researchers at the 2010 World Pork Expo, years of scientific study and on-farm research is paying off with highly effective strategies to help swine producers in their efforts to prevent and control porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus. The consensus of the group: Producers and veterinarians are making a significant difference in controlling PRRS on production farms today.

Scott Dee, DVM, Ph.D., Swine Disease Eradication Center at the University of Minnesota, said the development of area regional control and elimination (ARC&E) programs, along with increased understanding of aerosol transmission and developments in air filtration, biosecurity and refined herd diagnostic techniques have proven to be effective in reducing PRRS virus transmission.

"In the last five to seven years, the swine industry has made major strides in understanding how PRRS virus spreads; what biosecurity protocols to use to prevent transmission; and how to more accurately diagnose and manage the disease when it occurs," Dee said. "One of the most recent developments is called area regional control and elimination, which takes a 'big picture' approach to disease control by calling for collaboration of producers and veterinarians. This process is based on understanding the PRRS status across farms, as well as the risk factors that promote virus spread, to improve disease control within an area or region."

The goal of ARC&E is to first eliminate PRRS virus on farms in low-prevalence and low-density swine areas, along with control of PRRS in high-prevalence, high-density areas. The end result on the farm is to improve pig performance by reducing wild-type virus load in control areas and reducing the long-term risk of those viruses getting back into PRRS elimination areas.