Traditional PRRS Biosecurity Protocols Recommended for New More Pathogenic Strain

The Swine Health Information Center is recommending the same biosecurity protocols used to protect swine herds from exposure to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome to prevent the introduction of a new more virulent and pathogenic strain of the infection. A Swine Health Information Center and American Association of Swine Veterinarians webinar planned for this afternoon will examine the PRRS 1-4-4 Lineage 1C variant.

SHIC Executive Director Dr. Paul Sundberg says, while this strain appears to be more pathogenic than other strains and it is more easily spread and is capable of getting into high biosecurity farms, all of the typical biosecurity measures for PRRS prevention still hold.

Clip-Dr. Paul Sundberg-Swine Health Information Center:

We haven't learned any new lessons yet. I'm hopeful that there may be some things that come out as information on this webinar. But all of the things that we work on with PRRS hold.

One of the most important things is to make sure that you understand what is in your area and communicate among producers and veterinarians to understand, if there are outbreaks within the area, then there can be increased diligence and biosecurity protocols, biosecurity procedures and making sure that that's implemented very tight every day.

I think one of the most important aspects of biosecurity is that it is only as good as your weakest moment because that weakest moment may allow for the entry of something that you don't want to have.

So, making sure that you do the best job you can do to implement biosecurity at 100 percent every day, 24 hours a day every day is really important. The usual biosecurity things with PRRS of management of pig flow, of on and off the farm of visitors, of all of those things that go into PRRS biosecurity still hold for this strain.