Health Studies Proceeding at Fever Pitch
Genomics can have a major impact on the pork industry since it can help improve disease resilience. This will help pigs cope with disease, leading to a faster recovery. Serologic testing, the study of blood serum is also important in the pork industry, specifically in...
Swine Health Research Just as the Doctor Ordered
Pig health is important in protecting the herd and the bottom line. Three threats to pigs include Brachyspira, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv). Brachyspira can be deadly and research is being done on its antibiotic resistnce to look at what drugs...
PRRS Research Prompts Infectious Enthusiasm
A common swine disease in Canada is porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and it is a very expensive disease for the swine industry. It spreads in many ways, including through pigs, the air or fomites like equipment and clothing. The greatest risks are employees...
Just Say No to Drug Resistance
Antimicrobial resistance is a worldwide concern since bacteria or viruses are evolving to be immune to antibiotic treatments. Using antibiotics needs to be significantly reduced, with livestock animals having more restricted access to them. In Canada, they can no longer be used for growth promotion...
African Swine Fever: The Heat is On
African Swine Fever poses a huge risk to the global pork sector, with it currently spreading throughout China and Europe. It will most likely arrive in North America as well so producers need to be prepared. Symptoms to look for include fever, difficulty standing, weakness,...
African Swine Fever a Hot Topic in Banff
African Swine Fever is a contagious hemorrhagic disease that affects all ages of pigs with a very high mortality rate. It is currently spreading through Europe and China and is largely spread through human activity. This disease is an increasing concern for the Canadian pork...
Brachyspira 2.0: Novel Disease Needs Novel Approach
A novel species of Brachyspira was discovered that causes severe illness in pigs. Testing is being completed on different strains and how to treat them as some may be resistant to certain antibiotics. This testing has many benefits like the correct dosage and drug being known,...
Better Disease Detection is Nothing to Sneeze At
Pig diseases are costly, reduce performance, lower production and can lead to losses. Serologic testing the antibodies that the animals produce when fighting off an infection can detect which diseases are present. Currently, the serologic test used can only detect one agents' antibodies at a...
Rapid PEDv Test Earns Top Marks
A faster, easier and cheaper method to detect Porcine Endemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) is being developed that uses a molecular diagnostic platform called the Accutas™. This test can be done on the farm with very fast results (1-2 hours) so it is cheap to do...
Addressing Influenza a Shot in the Arm for Industry
Influenza has a large impact on the Canadian swine industry as it mutates quickly resulting in multiple strains. A genomic analysis was completed on 16 strains that were causing outbreaks in Canada. Once one of the viruses was being dealt with, often another strain would...