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.
Today’s Science Page takes a look the Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae Cost Calculator developed by researchers Kaydance Hinn, Paul Yeske, and Maria Pieters.
Continue reading “An estimation cost calculator to assess the economic impacts of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae disease”Looking to learn something new this weekend? Check out this new podcast featuring the UMN Swine Group’s very own Dr. Mariana Kikuti!
Dr. Mariana Kikuti, Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota, explains how PRRSV variant classification is structured and how it supports more effective monitoring of disease outbreaks in swine herds. She shares how lineage and variant tracking improve virus identification and situational awareness. Discover how real-time data enables smarter decision-making in swine health.
Want to dive deeper? Learn more about VUMs (Variants Under Monitoring) on the MSHMP website!
Today, we are sharing a recent published manuscript from a collaboration between the swine group and the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety at the University of Minnesota. The project focused on biosecurity practices from the Secure Pork Supply plan and the consistency with which they were applied on farms. The full text is available in open access on the journal Animals’ website.
Continue reading “Beliefs, Behaviors, and Practices of Farm Biosecurity in the Midwestern U.S. Swine Operations”Swine mortality, particularly those caused by infectious pathogens, poses biosecurity risks and causes significant economic impact. Dead handling structures may act as sources of viral environmental contamination, but limited attention has been given to their role in biocontainment and bioexclusion of pathogens in and around farms. In this study, we tried to diminish this problem by assessing the environmental contamination around dead animal disposal structures in wean-to-finish farms and determining if the contamination levels differ according to how dead animals are managed.
Continue reading “40-farm study reveals swine mortality site virus risk”
The University of Minnesota Swine Group is seeking sow farms and grow-finish farms that have recently broken with PRRSV-2 variant 1C.5.32, variant 1A.2, or 1H.18 to contribute to a research study on PRRSV-2 virulence. This study addresses the virulence and production impacts of a novel PRRSV-2 variant, denoted as 1C.5.32, which began spreading rapidly in the Midwest in late 2024. We aim to quantify this new variant’s virulence and production impacts in sow farms and nursery-age pigs in comparison to other prevalent variants (1A.2 and 1H.18), and quantify the role of co-infections in shaping PRRSV severity.
Continue reading “Production impacts of PRRSV-2 1C.5.32 and other variants (1A.2, 1H.18): Call for participants”