Source: National Pork Board
The National Pork Board’s new porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus research booklet is now available. The guide, PRRS Initiative Research, is the most comprehensive source of Checkoff-funded research available on the subject, spanning 20 years of results.

“Each year, the effect of PRRS is felt on pig farms across the country, and it has a $664 million annual impact on the U.S. pork industry,” says David Pyburn, DVM, senior vice president of science and technology of the NPB. “The Pork Checkoff has consistently invested in swine science and PRRS research, and the result is a guide that will provide value to understanding PRRS in an effort to address its impact.”

The updated and expanded 2017 edition contains Checkoff-funded PRRS research from 1997 to 2016, which can help producers, swine veterinarians and researchers learn more about how to control the costly virus. The guide has six sections:
• Immunology, virology and pathogenesis
• Vaccine development
• Epidemiology, risk factors and control strategies
• Diagnostic testing
• Surveillance and elimination strategies
• Genetic resistance

The PRRS Initiative Research (1997-2016) is available online. For more information on the guide, contact Lisa Becton, DVM, at 515-223-2791. This week, World Pork Expo attendees also can receive more information on the new guide and discuss research findings with Pork Checkoff staff on-site at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, June 7-9, in Des Moines.

For information on Checkoff-funded programs, pork producers can call the Pork Checkoff Service Center at 800-456-7675 or visit Pork.org.