May 2017 – Page 2 – Swine in Minnesota

Science Page: Bob Morrison’s legacy

This is our Friday rubric: every week a new Science Page from the Swine Health Monitoring Project. The previous editions of the science page are available on our website.

This week, the Science Page honors Dr. Robert Morrison, the founder and leader of the Swine Health Monitoring Project.

Bob’s unique talent for creating relationships that advanced the swine industry culminated in the creation of the Swine Health Monitoring Project (SHMP), one of the initiatives that Bob carried with pride. […] As it evolved, the SHMP changed names several times but many in the industry simply refer to it as “Bob’s project”. For that reason, and to give the just recognition he deserves, we have decided to renam the project to “Dr. Bob Morrison’s SHMP” (MSHMP).

Click here to read more about the future of SHMP and Bob’s legacy.

Update of Jeanie’s situation on her Caring Bridge web page

A lot of you are asking for news and updates of the situation in Prague, or how you can help. Everything is now centralized in a Caring Bridge web page for Jeanie. We are keeping the Morrison, Spronk, and Wetzell families in our thoughts and wish Jeanie a full and quick recovery.

Dr. Morrison’s wife, Jeanie no longer in life threatening condition

We are trying to give you a daily update on the situation regarding the auto accident that happened in Prague on Tuesday and lead to Dr. Morrison’s passing.

As of today, Jeanie Morrison, Dr. Morrison’s wife, is no longer in a life-threatening condition said the doctors in charge of her recovery. We do not have any further information but the Morrison family is in the process of creating a online information page to provide updates on Jeanie’s situation. We will add the link here when it is available.

Thank you everyone for your support.

Edit: The Caring Bridge web page is here.

Passing of Dr. Robert Morrison, colleague, friend, and international leader in the swine industry

The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine is mourning the death of Dr. Robert Morrison, a faculty member in its Department of Veterinary Population Medicine. Dr. Morrison, his wife and several companions were involved in an auto accident north of Prague in the Czech Republic. They were traveling prior to attending a swine health management conference in Prague. “Dr. Morrison was an international leader in the swine industry,” says Dr. Trevor Ames, dean of the college. “This is a tragic loss for the strong team of students and faculty that Bob helped us build. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Morrison family.”

Dr. Morrison was hired by the University of Minnesota in 1986 and recently launched the Swine Health Monitoring Project, which provides weekly reports on the health status of over 50% of the U.S. sow herds. Dr. Morrison also coordinated two internationally-respected swine health management conferences: the St. Paul, MN-based Allen D. Leman Swine Conference and the Leman China Conference in Nanjing, China. The conferences are named for UM professor Dr. Al Leman, who served as Dr. Morrison’s graduate advisor.

Mycoplasma hyorhinis prevalence varies based on pigs’ age

Summary

Mycoplasma hyorhinis can cause polyserositis and arthritis in post-weaning pigs.
To study M.hyorhinis‘ prevalence based on age, nasal swabs were taken from pigs at 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70 and 77 days as well as from sows, in 3 different Minnesotan herds (A, B, and C).
8.8% of the sows were positive for M.hyorhinis in herds A and B whereas 3.3% of the sows were positive in herd C.
The percentage of positive piglets (<21 days of age) was low: between 0 and 10% depending on the herds.
At 28 days of age, the prevalence of M.hyorhinis in pigs increased dramatically to around 50% in herd A and 100% in herd B. After 42 days of age, the prevalence in those herds stayed above 95%.
The prevalence in herd C stayed close to 0% until the pigs reached the age of 77 days, time at which the prevalence increased to 100%.

Did you see our Science page on Mycoplasma hyorhinis and swine conjunctivitis?

Abstract

Mycoplasma hyorhinis is one of the causative agents of polyserositis and arthritis in postweaning pigs. Knowledge regarding colonization frequency and age distribution in modern pig production is lacking. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of M hyorhinis colonization in different age groups across three commercial pig populations. Nasal swabs were collected from sows, piglets and nursery pigs of different ages. Oral fluids were collected from nursery pigs. Necropsies were performed to assess the presence of M hyorhinis-associated disease. M hyorhinis was detected in 5/60 sows in herd A, 3/60 in herd B and none in herd C. In herd A and B, the prevalence was low in preweaning piglets (∼8 per cent) and high in postweaning pigs (∼98 per cent). A total of 7/8 oral fluids tested PCR positive in herds A and B, while 1/8 tested positive in herd C. In herd C, the preweaning and postweaning prevalence was low. In herds A and B, necropsied pigs had polyserositis lesions where M hyorhinis was detected by PCR. This study showed that prevalence of M hyorhinis colonization varies with pig age and across farms. Information generated will aid in the design and implementation of control and prevention strategies.

Month: May 2017