Strategies to help producers control, eliminate infectious diseases like PRRS is at the forefront of researchers minds throughout the country. The 2016 North American PRRS Symposium brings all those like minded folks together to share their discoveries and theories with peers. Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI) again hosted a seminar during the event focused on building on the best practices in the control of PRRS.

Dr. Daniel Linhares, Iowa State University of Science and Technology’s College of Veterinary Medicine, provided an update to attendees on PRRS stability studies and flash updates on PRRS detection and biosecurity studies.

When it comes to biosecurity, the goal is to help producers measure it and correlate it to the frequency of PRRS outbreaks. Dr. Linhares is interested in creating scores to identify the level of biosecurity practices found on farms. “In a pilot study, we had a 65% correlation, meaning farms with higher score were more likely for outbreak and lower score broke less.”

Moving forward, Dr. Linhares said they are inviting producers to enroll in a study to develop this measurement into a practical detection process. Listen to my complete interview to learn more about future goals and application at the farm level. Interview with Dr. Daniel Linhares, Iowa State University

View and download photos from the event here: 2016 BIVI PRRS Seminar Photo Album