Page 11 of articles about PRRS in Articles

Swine influenza: epidemiology and emergence of new viruses

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.

PRRS Biosecurity

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.

PRRS control

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.

PRRS: Transmission via direct and indirect routes (1/2)

In this second part the direct routes (infected pigs and contaminated semen) and indirect routes (fomites and transportation vehicles) of PRRSV are tackled, as is the persistence of the virus because the persistence of the infection is a characteristic of PRRSV infections in pigs and plays a major role in the control and eradication of the disease.

PRRS: Etiology and clinical manifestation

Scott Dee, the prestigious American veterinarian who is known worldwide for his research on the PRRS virus, will be in charge of this section which is dedicated exclusively to the PRRS disease. Every month a new article will be published related to subjects such as etiology and clinical signs, transmission routes, diagnostic testing methods, biosecurity or control and eradication.