Swine Health Information Center Introduces PRRSV Variants Under Monitoring Monthly Report

A new national PRRS surveillance effort developed by the University of Minnesota is helping enhance decision-making in swine health by identifying and communicating emerging PRRS virus variants. Due to its ability to mutate over time to escape detection by the host, the PRRS virus,  is a significant challenge.

The University of Minnesota, with funding provided by the Swine Health Information Center in collaboration with the SHIC-funded Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project and the PRRS-Loom analytical platform, is leading the development of the "PRRSV Variants Under Monitoring Monthly Report." SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton says data contained in the report includes participant information supplied by the Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project and diagnostics provided by different diagnostic laboratories.

Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center:

This effort, led by Dr. Mariana Kikuti, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, looked providing this report of variants of PRRS virus to be able to track the different changes in the virus and also provide producers and their veterinarians a way to enhance decision making. So, being able to communicate and describe these variants can help how people address and respond should a variant be found in their farm or even in surrounding areas near their farm.

This report really is intended to be utilized by producers and their veterinarians to monitor and evaluate the changes in PRRS viruses that are occurring nationwide but also in their areas because the report can list how many sites are seeing a variant as well as the states the variants are occurring in.Again, this is intended to be another tool that can be utilized to assess herd health and herd health risks.

Dr. Becton says the ability to track and assess these PRRS variants provides veterinarians a way to assess the variants and adjust herd health strategies, including biosecurity or vaccination, especially if they see changes occurring within a state or a region and changing significantly over time. This new report can be accessed through the Swine Health Information Center's September eNewsletter which can be found at swinehealth.org.
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