PRRS Virus Biosecurity Protocols Published

February 17, 2009 — 

Preventing the spread of PRRSV within and between pig populations is a critical component of a farm's disease control program. To aid in controlling the spread of this agent, researchers at the University of Minnesota's Swine Disease Eradication Center (SDEC) compiled the Biosecurity Protocols for the Prevention of Spread of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus. Development of this manual was funded in part through a grant from the AASV Foundation.

The manual provides a summary of data from experiments conducted at the SDEC. These studies were specifically designed to identify the routes of PRRSV transmission and to develop biosecurity protocols to reduce this risk. The overall objectives of the research project are:

1. To assess the efficacy of 3 levels of biosecurity (high, medium, low) on reducing the risk of PRSR virus introductions to naïve pig populations,
2. To evaluate the role of season and animal flow on the local spread of PRRS virus,
3. To estimate the frequency and significance of known routes of PRRS virus transmission, and
4. To compile a bilingual PRRS virus biosecurity manual summarizing routes, intervention, and monitoring protocols for use on commercial farms.

All protocols have been, and continue to be, validated as part of the ongoing research project at the SDEC production region model farm. Researchers at the SDEC continue to practice these protocols and are confident that the application of these procedures will help minimize PRRSV spread.

The authors, Andrea Pitkin, Satoshi Otake and Scott Dee, hope that swine veterinarians can utilize this information to help their clients develop effective biosecurity programs for sustainable PRRS control. The manual is available online at http://www.aasv.org/aasv/PRRSV_BiosecurityManual.pdf. A Spanish version should be available soon.