Meet the Expert

In this episode we welcome Dr Marina Sibila from the animal research institute CReSA-IRTA in Catalunya, Spain. Her research line focuses mainly on the epidemiology, diagnosis, animal model development and prevention/treatment strategies of porcine respiratory pathogens, mainly porcine circoviruses (PCV-2 and PCV-3) and porcine mycoplasmas. With Dr Sibila we shall discuss the diagnostics of Porcine Circovirus – type 2.

In this episode of "Meet the Expert" we shall be focusing on the classifaction of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) virus and deal with the question how to break the chain of infection. Just like in the previous episode, we will be speaking with Daniel Linhares, associate professor and director of graduate education at Iowa State University, USA.

This episode is the first of two podcasts with associate professor Daniel Linhares of Iowa State University in the USA. He is a well-known global expert on Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus. This first episode revolves around monitoring of the virus in sow farms.

This episode zooms in on African Swine Fever virus in Vietnam. As the virus has been around there for a few years, various strategies have been developed how to get the disease under control. Guest Dr. Christa Goodell of Boehringer Ingelheim will explain about the so-called “tooth extraction method.” She researched this approach and discusses its pros and cons.

The word “sustainability” doesn’t need any introduction – trying to do more with less is on everybody’s mind. Making that happening, however, is easier said than done. During his many years at R&D with animal nutrition company Nutreco as well as in his role as professor at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, Leo den Hartog never stopped asking how the industry could achieve a better feed efficiency. He is optimistic there are still many things the industry can do to only do a better job in the future.

In this episode we are going to further explore the topic of Precision Livestock Farming, as we are about to look into a very practical application with regard to pig health: early warning systems, like the Soundtalks cough monitor. Featuring in this episode is Dr Amanda Sponheim, part of the US Boehringer Ingelheim swine team as a key account veterinarian and also a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota, where her research is primarily about identifying diagnostic approaches that may improve the detection of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in swine.

In this episode we are going to talk about Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae – causative agent for enzootic pneumonia in pigs. Very recently, new insights were acquired about costs related to eliminating the bacteria, after disease broke on a naïve breed-to-wean site. Guest in this podcast is Dr. Tom Gillespie, DVM, previously the owner and founder of Rensselaer Swine Services, and currently an international consultant for Performance Health LLC.

Producing pigs more sustainably can be achieved in many ways. Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) is one of them - after all, with technology it is often possible to determine at very detailed level what certain pigs need in terms of feed, temperature, ventilation or medication. By applying a targeted treatment, better results can be achieved with minimum input. The guest in this 3rd episode of Meet the Expert is Prof Dr Daniël Berckmans, of Leuven KU in Belgium, who is well-known for his attempts to make PLF more applicable in livestock production.

Veterinarians rely on others for our success. Identifying disease, treating disease, implementing biosecurity, conducting vaccinations, and most importantly to choose a course of action are all out of control regardless of farm size or ownership structure. This podcast discusses nearly 30 years of “lessons learned” in addressing health and production challenges in systems across the globe and how life can be easier using principles from the science of leadership.

When carrying out surveillance to detect PRRS virus presence in a herd, there are various ways to do so. In recent years, a new and effective method was developed by Spanish veterinarian Jordi Baliellas, attached to the Grup de Sanejament Porci (or Pig Hygiene Group) in Lleida, Spain. He opted for taking tongue tip samples – and that works very satisfactorily. In this first episode of the third Meet the Expert podcast series, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health and Pig Progress get to know all there is to know about tongue tip sampling for PRRS virus.