Pig Health Today

African swine fever (ASF) has spread like a slow burn across the globe since the 2007 identification in the Republic of Georgia. It moved into the EU, and by 2018, surfaced in China then continued across Asia. In 2021, for the first time in 40 years, ASF was discovered in the Dominican Republic. 

“Put simply, the global status of ASF is that it’s here and it’s here to stay, unfortunately,” Patrick Webb, DVM, director of swine health with the National Pork Board (NPB), told Pig Health Today.

Efforts are underway in Canada to develop an ASF-Free Compartments strategy allowing farms to market hogs in the event of an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak. 

 Egan Brockhoff, DVM, veterinary counselor with the Canadian Pork Council, discussed plans to work with government veterinary authorities and industry to help high-biosecurity farms participate in an ASF-Free Compartments Program that allows them to continue marketing hogs in the face of foreign animal disease. He hopes the US will consider following a similar plan.

US pig producers know that many different strains of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) exist, and that immunological cross-protection amongst different strains can be variable.  However, the continual emergence of new sub-lineages continues to destabilize progress towards PRRS control, said Kim VanderWaal, PhD, associate professor at the University of Minnesota. 

Over the past two decades, the swine industry learned how to eliminate Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhp) from herds without depopulation/repopulation, according to Paul Yeske, DVM, Swine Vet Center, St. Peter, Minnesota. Yeske has been at the forefront of the efforts to eliminate the respiratory disease for clients. 

When a sow doesn’t reach her full potential, the cost to the farm and the income stream of the sow herd is often “grossly underestimated,” said John Deen, DVM, PhD, a professor at the University of Minnesota. Current estimates of $500 to $1,000 per sow due to an early exit may be much lower than the actual cost, Deen told Pig Health Today.

All types of supplies and equipment enter a hog farm, putting the operation at risk of a disease outbreak. Improved biosecurity protocols with layering help minimize the risks, reported Erin Kettelkamp, DVM, Swine Vet Center. 

Ross Kiehne, DVM from Swine Vet Center in St. Peter, Minnesota discusses baby pig scours. 

The biggest issue facing most hog farms today is a shortage of workers, according to Laura Bruner, DVM, Swine Vet Center, St. Peter, Minnesota.

“If you ask (producers) what their challenges are in their day-to-day life, it’s finding labor and enough labor to be able to take care of the sows and get the production they want,” she said. 

Regular biosecurity checks with a close look at filtration and ventilation systems will help prevent the spread of airborne pathogens like porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), according to Jeff Feder, DVM, Swine Vet Center, St. Peter, Minnesota.

 Most, if not all, pigs harbor some strains of Streptococcus suis (Strep suis). Lately, challenges by the bacteria appear to be on the rise, but that could be interpreted as a positive.