Researchers VanderWaal, Paploski, Makau and Corzo at the University of Minnesota provide new insights into how PRRSv spreads between farms and the importance of data sharing in this research article published in Preventive Veterinary Medicine.
Highlights
- The study combined three years of PRRSv genetic data with network analysis to look at the dynamics of between-farm spread of PRRSv.
- Data from a subset of the MSHMP farms was used and included farm location, animal movements between farms, and any PRRSv sequence recovered those farms.
- The researchers identified between-farm infection chains and elucidated types of contact that were most associated with PRRSv transmission.
- Results showed that animal movements, not local area spread, play a dominant role in shaping transmission pathways.
- Local area spread ( within a 5 km area) also contributed to the PRRSv transmission pathway, though to a much lesser extent than animal movements.
Implications for COVID-19?
Molecular geneticists and epidemiologists perform similar work for the human population, especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic. Follow this link to learn how researchers trace the routes the virus has traveled across the world in an attempt to find out how quickly and easily SARS-CoV-2 spreads using globally shared data.
Continue reading “Contrasting animal movement and spatial connectivity networks in shaping transmission pathways of a genetically diverse virus”