Influenza has been plaguing U.S. swine herds for decades, and the virus has continued to evolve over the years. Where does the industry stand today in this fight?

Phil Gauger, Tavis Anderson and Christine Mainquist-Whigham will give their viewpoints on the influenza virus from a diagnostic, bioinformatic and field perspective during the next Science Talks. Webinar “Influenza: Where are we today?” This webinar will be 1 p.m. Central Sept. 11. This National Hog Farmer webinar is sponsored by Merck Animal Health.

The trio will focus on the changes in the virus over the years and the impact of the disease today to producers, veterinarians and the industry.

Overview
Title: Influenza: Where are we today?
Date: Sept. 11
Time: 2 p.m. ET | 1 p.m. CT | 11 a.m. PT
Duration: 1 hour

Phil Gauger is a 1994 graduate of Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and was a partner in a mixed animal practice for 12 years. Gauger received a master’s in 2008 and PhD in 2012 in Veterinary Microbiology from ISU. He is currently an associate professor and veterinary diagnostician at the ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in the Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine and section leader of the molecular diagnostic testing at the ISU VDL.

Tavis Anderson is an ORISE Established Scientist hosted by the National Animal Disease Center (USDA-Agricultural Research Service). Anderson has more than 15 years of experience in animal health research. The primary focus of his research is the evolution of infectious disease, combining computational and experimental studies to understand how pathogens are transmitted among hosts and across complex landscapes. A main area involves the study of the epidemiology of emerging and endemic RNA viruses of swine. In addition, he conducts studies that quantify viral genetic and antigenic variation and how that variation influences transmission and vaccine control strategies. The unifying theme of his research is explaining how genetic signatures affect influenza host range and virulence, the use of sequence data to understand the genetic and antigenic variability of endemic viruses, and the application of these results to develop applied solutions to preventing virus transmission.

Christine Mainquist-Whigham is a veterinarian with Pillen Family Farms in Columbus, Neb. Mainquist-Whigham received her doctorate in veterinary medicine and master of science in veterinary preventive medicine from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2016, with a focus on antibiotic residues. Her role at Pillen Family Farms includes overseeing health of 75,000 sows as well as the downstream nursery and finishing system.

National Hog Farmer’s Senior Staff Writer Kevin Schulz will moderate this Sept. 11 webinar

Click here to save your seat for this webinar that promises to be educational and informative. By registering for this webinar, you also gain access to previous Science Talks. webinars.

Be sure to register even if you cannot attend, as archived versions of National Hog Farmer webinars are available to watch On Demand shortly after broadcast. You will receive an email with login instructions as soon as the replay is available.