BioPortal PRRS Update

PRRS cases continue to change our thoughts on the “seasonality” of this disease. With the emergence of PRRS strain 1-4-4 L1Cv, this virus has decided it no longer favors only the winter, colder months. The graph above depicts the number of cases in the Suidae sequence database since January 2022 by month. The blue highlighted months would be the months we expect PRRS cases to spike (October-January). The yellow highlighted months (April – June) also show spikes in PRRS cases, contrary to what we would have seen in the past. What this tells us is that we can no longer treat PRRS as a winter bug and need to have heightened biosecurity all year long. This may even mean increasing the number and the intensity of our biosecurity audits on sow farms, and pressuring grow/finish caretakers to be extra vigilant.

Suidae offers extensive biosecurity audits by Dr. Amanda Reever in all levels of production! Contact your Suidae veterinarian if you are interested in learning more about this service.