The selected PRRS studies for 2012 focus on three important areas of research: (1) an assessment of diagnostics to differentiate vaccine and field virus responses in PRRS elimination projects; (2) detecting PRRSv prevalence in pen-based oral fluid samples; and (3) to study the impact of PRRSv vaccination of growing pigs on the severity of respiratory disease caused by PRRSv and swine influenza virus.

Marking its 10th year, the BIVI-sponsored PRRS research awards have been critical in improving the swine industry’s understanding of disease transmission, diagnosis, control and prevention. In the last decade, the company has contributed nearly $900,000 through the Advancement in PRRS Research Awards to fund more than 30 separate research projects directed at PRRS.

From the 15 PRRS research proposals submitted for the 2012 awards, the three following recipients were selected; the recipients and their research proposals were recognized in March at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) Conference in Denver, Colorado:

Brad Leuwerke, DVM, Swine Vet Center, St. Peter, Minn. – A study on the effect of PRRSv vaccination of growing pigs on the severity of respiratory disease caused by a co-infection of PRRSv and Influenza.

Mike Murtaugh, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, St. Paul – A study on diagnostics to differentiate vaccine and field virus responses in PRRS elimination projects.

Jeff Zimmerman, DVM, Ph.D., Iowa State University, Ames – A study to assess the probability of detecting PRRSV in pen-based oral fluid samples from low prevalence populations.

Incoming AASV President, Tara Donovan, DVM, with Hanor USA in Spring Green, Wis., served on this year’s PRRS Research Review Board. She noted that the large number of research award proposals received is indicative of the economic importance of PRRS to the swine industry as well as the high regard researchers and veterinarians have for the BIVI research awards program.

“Longstanding industry-sponsored research programs like Boehringer Ingelheim’s Advancement in PRRS Research Awards are critical today in helping find practical solutions to major livestock diseases such as PRRS,” Dr Donovan says. “In the last 10 years we’ve learned a tremendous amount about this disease, due to these research projects. However, without ongoing collaborative research efforts that bring together clinical researchers, academia, field veterinarians and producers, it would take much longer to find effective ways to prevent the spread of the disease and, hopefully, lead to its eradication.”

In addition to Donovan, members of the PRRS Review Board included: Bill Mengeling, DVM, Ph.D., Iowa State University/NADC (retired), Ames, Iowa; Montse Torremorell, DVM, Ph.D., University of Minnesota; Tim Loula, DVM, Swine Vet Center, St. Peter, Minnesota; Luc Dufresne, DVM, Seaboard Foods, Shawnee Mission, Kansas; and Daryl Olsen, DVM, Audubon-Manning Veterinary Clinic, Audubon, Iowa.

The three research proposals were selected based on established criteria that include potential for economic impact to the swine industry; originality and scientific quality; and probability of success in completing the study.

Proposal entries for the 2013 Advancement in PRRS Research Awards are due 1 January 2013. For more information, please click here.