Use of buffered Swiffer cloth for collection of PRRSv from the snout and face of growing pigs
It can be difficult and expensive to collect serum samples from pigs while they are still alive. Although these samples are crucial for testing if pigs have been infected with the PRRS virus. Researchers have tried using a Swiffer cloth to collect samples and have had relative success. This has potential to be a cheap alternative to rope which is currently used. Pigs who were PRRS negative were split into herds of 1000 pigs in an all-in all-out system. The pigs were regularly wiped on the nostril and mouth with a swiffer pad dampened by phosphate buffered saline. Results of the study showed that PRRS can be collected from the snout and mouth of pigs. Using the swiffer pad made collecting samples easy and accurate. It is also a cheap alternative to rope testing. Sometimes pigs choose not to chew on the rope making sample taking inconsistent.