sequencing – Swine in Minnesota

Phylogenetic Lineages of Canadian PRRSV-2 Reveal Transboundary Spread and Two Novel Sub-Lineages

Today we are sharing a recent publication from the VanderWaal lab looking at PRRSV sequences from Canada. The full publication is available in open access on the journal Pathogens’ website.

In vitro evaluation of PRRSV ORF5 sequences in samples containing PRRSV modified-live vaccine and wild-type strains

Today, we are sharing a publication from recent PhD graduate Joaquin Alvarez Norambuena in collaboration with the VDL and the MSHMP team in the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. In this paper, Dr. Alvarez Norambuena explores how Sanger sequencing performs when testing samples with multiple PRRS strains.

Updates on monitored PRRSV variants

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.

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) continues to evolve, posing ongoing challenges for swine health management. This report, brought to you by the MSHMP team, provides an update on several monitored PRRSV variants of interest—1H.18, 1C.2, and 1C.5—along with two recently split variants, 1C.5.32 and 1C.5.36. These updates reflect current detection patterns as of early May 2025, geographic distribution, and clustering activity, helping stakeholders stay informed about trends in variant circulation and transmission dynamics.

AI brings 30 years of data to the real world

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus impacts as much as half of all swine breeding farms in the United States. It’s one of the most costly issues the swine industry faces. The virus now costs the U.S. pork industry $1.2 billion per year in lost production, an 80-percent increase in the last decade.

Surprising but true: PRRSV is one of the most sequenced viruses in the world

By Kim VanderWaal, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

For those outside the pig world, it comes as a surprise that a disease affecting pigs, PRRSV-2, is one of the most sequenced viruses in the world. But those inside the pig world are unsurprised, because they know that the way sequence data is utilized in swine health management is unparalleled by human medicine. If you, as a human, get infected with the common cold, you are unlikely to even get a diagnosis, let alone will the doctor request a genetic sequence for your particular virus to make decisions about care or treatment. However, that is exactly what happens when farms break PRRSV-2: the genetic sequence of the virus is often used by animal health professionals for disease monitoring and management.