A team of researchers at the University of Minnesota has secured $500,000 to study how new influenza virus strains emerge, persist, and spread in pig populations—and what age, well-being, farm-production type, and epidemiological factors might help predict whether a new virus strain emerges.
Graduate students are at the core of our research efforts to deliver science-based solutions to solve the swine industry’s problems. You may be familiar with their names through scientific publications or you may have seen them present the results of their research at various conferences but they deserve a proper introduction. Meet our 2021-2022 graduate students!
Part of the UMN swine group at the AASV annual meeting in February 2022.
Two projects: one lead by Andres Perez, DVM, PhD and Jerry Torrison, DVM, PhD, DACVPM focuses on surveillance and detection of foreign animal disease, one lead by Sunil Mor, BVSc & AH, MVSc, PhD, aims to develop rapid field test for foot-and-mouth disease.
Mycoplasmal pneumonia of swine (MPS) first appeared in pigs a century ago, when producers had a hunch that it wasn’t influenza that was taking their droves. Today, the disease is nearly endemic.
“It exists in just about any country where pigs are raised,” says Maria Pieters, DVM, PhD, director of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s (CVM) Swine Disease Eradication Center.
When the minuscule bacteria, called Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, first enter a pig’s lungs, it can easily go undetected. But as the pig approaches the finishing stage, the bacteria cripples its respiratory system and stunts the swine’s growth. The infected pig takes longer to reach market size, elevating costs for producers. They also suffer, something veterinarians strive to eliminate.
There’s a better way to manage the spread of the disease, and Albert Canturri, a PhD candidate in CVM, is designing it.
This is our Friday rubric: every week a new Science Page from the Bob Morrison’s Swine Health Monitoring Project. The previous editions of the science page are available on our website.
In partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc., Pipestone Research has provided a rapid response to bring science-based answers to managing the emergence of PRRSV 144. Based on field observations from practitioners and producers, stating that, “This is the worst strain of PRRSV ever,” “Vaccines don’t work anymore”, and “Biosecurity protocols are ineffective,” the team determined that immediate action was needed.
