PRRSV Transmission and Biosecurity Update

Posted in: Welfare by admin on January 1, 2006 | No Comments

Eradication of PRRS is possible on an individual farm basis, however; re-infection via local spread of the virus is a frequent event. Proof of knowledge on the routes of PRRSV transmission and biosecurity is necessary before large-scale eradication efforts can begin. The specific aims of this study are to assess the efficacy of three levels of biosecurity on reducing the risk of PRRSV transmission to naïve pig populations; to evaluate the role of season on PRRSV area spread; to estimate the frequency and significance of observed routes of PRRSV transmission and to compile a bilingual PRRSV-biosecurity manual summarizing routes, intervention and monitoring protocols for use on commercial farms. After five replicates the preliminary results for the high level facility is that all samples collected remained negative. The results from the medium level facility confirmed evidence of RNA in aerosols with subsequent infection of pigs. In the low level facility evidence was confirmed of RNA in marked flies with subsequent infection in pigs and there was no evidence of RNA in externally collected samples and no infection of pigs. Other preliminary results conclude that during the cool weather in June there was an outbreak of the PRRS virus; however, there was minimal spread during the hot weather in July. The next studies to be conducted will be large-scale, long-term demonstration projects under controlled field conditions.

Nutritional Strategies for Optimizing Sow Reproductive Performance

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Goals of a quality nutrition program for a gestating sow includes body preparation for farrowing, maximizing reproductive performance, and meeting the daily nutrient requirements for the least cost possible. The goal in gestation is to have the sow farrow with a back fat measurement of no more than 24 mm and no less than 15, with 18 to 22 being ideal. Nutrient requirements and over/under feeding need to be looked at when preparing a gestation feeding program. Weight and back fat estimations should be used to determine an individual sows body score, and with that information the sow should be fed accordingly. By estimating these factors, a gestation weight gain and back fat gain can be determined for the gestation period (we want the maintenance, maternal, and uterine gain). To be effective however, feeders should be calibrated in a 5-step process and back fat should be checked weekly and adjusted accordingly. Numbers used in these processes will be farm-specific. Goals of a quality nutrition program for a lactating sow includes maximum feed intake, balancing nutrients and amino acids, and maintaining a reasonable feed cost for each pig weaned. Proper steps should be taken to increase total feed consumption during lactation before attempting to customize dietary lysine levels to a particular farm. High levels of fat should not be added to compensate for a low level feed intake as this may impair future reproduction. Lysine requirement is influenced by dietary energy intake. The primary factor for the different lysine recommendations is the production level of the sows. Therefore, as litter growth rate increases the grams of lysine required per day increases. In regards to other amino acids, they should be maintained at as high a level as possible without incurring excess costs. First parity sows require a more nutrient dense diet because they tend to consume a little bit less than older sows. Practical lactation feeding consists of morning feeding, late morning feeding, and evening feeding. These 3 are based on how much the sow has left in her feeder from the previous feeding.

The Role of Antibiotics in Immunosuppressive Diseases

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During recent years the pig industry has showed a radical change in disease patterns. In the last decade the emergence of immunosuppressive viruses (ISVs) has meant a significant change in the pattern of the diseases seen in pigs. The most common diseases related to this are PRRS, Swine Influenza Virus, Pseudorabies, and Swine Fever. Other diseases include Porcine Circovirus 2 and Post Weaning Multi-systemic Wasting Syndrome. The goal of veterinarians is to optimize the benefits of using antibiotics, appropriate preventative measures, and management to deal with these infections in immunosuppressive diseases. Some antibiotics can weaken the immune system (Tetracycline causes depletion of the immune system) and others work to strengthen the response of the animal. Effective control of ISVs may require fundamental changes in management, which could include major system changes. The prudent use of antibiotics to control the secondary infections is part of the control program. Aspects related to the impact of these products in immune system and the adverse effects in other organs, as kidneys, for instance, are relevant to choose the ideal drug. In addition biosecurity and effective disinfection programs can play a significant role in minimizing the problem.

A Simple Statistical Approach for Assessing Inter-laboratory Comparison Tests for Classical Swine Fever Diagnosis

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The aim of this study was to compare on an objective basis the results obtained during five classical swine fever (CSF) ring tests conducted in Germany between 1999 and 2003. A novel and simple statistical approach used in behavioural sciences was used. For each ring test, the regional laboratories received a panel of five lyophilized pig sera. The panel contained CSF virus positive and negative samples. The final task of the laboratory was to ascertain if a serum sample was positive for CSF or not. Some sera were very easy to diagnose as CSF positive while some sera had border line values and proved to be challenging. Depending on the degree of difficulty the sera
were divided into five categories. The evaluation of the ring test results was performed using a scoring system based on a score from )3 to +3 which takes into consideration the degree of difficulty to produce a correct diagnosis. To compare the results between different laboratories and/or between different ring tests more easily the total score of one laboratory was expressed in percentage. The final analysis of the data showed that the CSF diagnostic quality improved continuously.

New research says water temperature affects lactation sow performance

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Water is an important nutrient for pork production. Of the different classes of swine, lactating sows require the largest amount of water per day to boost voluntary feed intake and support adequate milk production, which directly influence litter performance. A major goal in the farrowing barn is to increase feed intake so as to boost milk production, prevent excessive sow body weight loss and achieve prompt return to estrus after weaning. High temperatures in the farrowing barn may lead to heat stress in sows, which can reduce feed intake and milk yield, reduce litter performance, and increase weaning to estrus interval. Results of a recent Korean study suggest that feeding chilled water (~15°C) to lactating sows housed in a high temperature environment may improve sow and litter performance. However, the energy required to chill the water should be considered in assessing the suitability of this approach.

Consequences of variation in weaning-to-estrus interval on reproductive performance of swine females

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Export market key to real growth for Canada's pork industry

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The Canadian pork industry should get past debates over export dependency and focus
more on quality and efficiency to get the most out of that growing market, says a senior
market analyst.
“We still have trade ‘handwringers’ who worry we’re too reliant on the export market,
particularly the U.S.,” says Kevin Grier of the George Morris Centre, speaking at the
Banff Pork Seminar, a leading annual industry seminar. “It’s time to get over it. Exporting
is what we do.”
Canadian pork exports are now greater than domestic consumption, and all signals point
to exports as the source of future industry growth, says Grier. The domestic industry is
stable and valuable but exports are the source of growth and expansion. “Unless
Canadians double their appetite for pork, we need to focus on exports or the pork industry
would have to become about 50 percent smaller.”
Rather than a risk, Canada should consider its strong export foothold a major advantage
and leverage that into further growth opportunities, he says. The industry’s success over
the last 15 years has been based on quality, efficiency, productivity and entrepreneurship.
Those factors continue to represent the greatest opportunities to boost the profitability of
pork producers and their industry.

Disinfection of swine wastewater using chlorine, ultraviolet light and ozone

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Veterinary antibiotics are widely used at concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)
to prevent disease and promote growth of livestock. However, the majority of antibiotics
are excreted from animals in urine, feces, and manure. Consequently, the lagoons used to
store these wastes can act as reservoirs of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
There is currently no regulation or control of these systems to prevent the spread of these
bacteria and their genes for antibiotic resistance into other environments. This study was
conducted to determine the disinfection potential of chlorine, ultraviolet light and ozone
against swine lagoon bacteria. Results indicate that a chlorine dose of 30mg/L could
achieve a 2.2–3.4 log bacteria reduction in lagoon samples. However, increasing the dose of
chlorine did not significantly enhance the disinfection activity due to the presence of
chlorine-resistant bacteria. The chlorine resistant bacteria were identified to be closely
related to Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis. A significant percentage of lagoon
bacteria were not susceptible to the four selected antibiotics: chlortetracycline, lincomycin,
sulfamethazine and tetracycline (TET). However, the presence of both chlorine and TET
could inactivate all bacteria in one lagoon sample. The disinfection potential of UV
irradiation and ozone was also examined. Ultraviolet light was an effective bacterial
disinfectant, but was unlikely to be economically viable due to its high energy
requirements. At an ozone dose of 100 mg/L, the bacteria inactivation efficiency could
reach 3.3
3.9 log.

Gasification of High – Solid – Content Livestock Manure as an Energy Source

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With increased fuel prices and Canada’s commitment to the Kyoto protocol, there has been a renewed interest in gasification, an old technology. Charison’s Turkey Hatchery, of Gunton, Manitoba, produces approximately 705 kg of litter per hour, and has an average electrical energy demand of 353 kW. A need was identified to create value from this waste that may be able to offset energy costs. A survey of gasification technologies in Manitoba showed that despite a large amount of activity, there is still no off-the-shelf solution available to generate electricity from biomass. Litter samples were collected from several barns and sent to the CANMET Energy Technology Centre in Ottawa, Ontario where bench scale gasification tests were done. These tests showed that the loose litter tended to plug up the system, and only a low quality gas was produced. Further testing was preformed by Innovation Technologies (Ireland) Ltd. of Ballycarry, Northern Ireland on similar litter sourced there. These tests determined that, due to the high ash and water content of the fuel and its loose configuration, it would best be gasified mixed with sawdust in pellet form. Should Charison’s install a gasifier on site for the purposes of generating electricity, issues with respect to clinkering and pelletisation would need to be addressed, likely though the development of a gasifier designed specifically for turkey litter. Given this analysis, it is recommended that further development of a gasifier at Charison’s be carried out in conjunction with an organisation that has expertise in gasification for the purposes of electricity generation, through the development of a functional on-site prototype.

ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK MODEL AS A DATA ANALYSIS TOOL IN PRECISION FARMING

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