Porcine Health Management

Five farmers supplied by one piglet breeder increasingly complained of disease-susceptible and poorer-growing pigs and therefore an increased need for antibiotic treatment. The piglet breeding facility is a 2 side production system with 480 sows, located in lower Saxony, Germany. The weaned pigs are kept in outdoor climate barns, 1.5 km away from the sows.

A classification system based on PRRS ORF5 sequences would be useful to assess progress in control program and for surveillance purposes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of an automated system that could be used for very large datasets and would consistently give reliable results over time.

PRRS sequencing (ORF5) is widely used in Quebec, Canada. Through several signed agreements with veterinarians, a structure was established allowing near real-time transfer of sequences to our research team from 3 different laboratories in Quebec. As a result, our database has grown to nearly 6000 sequences, with an annual averaged increase of 450 sequences. This database has allowed the development of several tools that can be used for surveillance.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is often quantified by qPCR from pooled serum samples or penwise oral fluid samples (OF). PCV2 can also be detected in feces. The objectives of the study were to compare PCV2 viral loads in pooled serum samples, OF and FS collected in the same pens and to assess the impact of individual pig´s viral load on a pooled serum sample.

Most of the time, breeding herd stability against PRRSv is assessed by sampling 30 due-to-wean piglets in a farrowing batch and pooling the samples by five to test them with a RT-qPCR test. The aim of this study was to compare the capacity to detect PRRSv in pre-weaning piglets using 2 different types of samples per litter and pooling them by five.

The Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) was firstly recognized clinically in the EU in 1987 and spreaded through Europe and America. This virus has two genotypes: with type 1 predominating in Europe and type 2 in North America and Asia. The aim of this study was to identify and to characterize the PRRS virus circulating and to estimate the prevalence in pig farms in Costa Rica.

To assess the stability of a sow herd against Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRSv), PCR on blood in weaning-age piglets is regularly implemented. This work describes the results obtained in 120 farms.

Since 2004 a worldwide shift of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) genotypes was observed from PCV2a towards PCV2b and more recently PCV2d (since 2012).

In the last years several novel parvoviruses (PPV) were discovered in pigs worldwide. The most recently discovered porcine parvovirus species is PPV7, which was reported in USA and China to date. The aim of the study was to present the first evidence of PPV7 in Polish pigs

A field study was performed in Germany to evaluate the role of transport vehicles as a source of transmission of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) to susceptible pigs. Risk factors for transmission of PRRSV type 2 via transport vehicles has been described, while little is known about PRRSV type 1 transmission via trucks in Europe.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the causative agent of hepatitis E in humans. Pigs are one of the main reservoirs for genotypes 3 and 4. Little is known about the circulation of HEV on swine farms and the effect of infection on health status of pigs. The objectives of the study were to demonstrate HEV circulation on Polish swine farms and the presence of the virus in serum, oral fluid and feces.

Swine influenza is an economically important viral disease of pigs, representing a continuing threat to production animals and zoonotic risk for humans.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical disease, humoral response and viral distribution of recent Porcine rubulavirus (PorPV) isolates in experimentally infected pigs.

In the United States and China, the presence of porcine circovirus type 3 (PCv3) has been described emerging disease that occurs mainly causing reproductive failures in females. Currently, in Mexico the presence of PCv3 has not been reported, however, in recent years has been detected increase in the number of cases of sows with reproductive failures, discarding the presence of other infectious agents present in national territory.

PRRS is one of the most damaging diseases in the swine industry, having negative effects typically affecting breeding herd reproductive parameters as well as pig productivity parameters. Controlling the infection is key to keep the systems producing at target levels and involves sow herd stabilization as well as an active pig protection.