The manual — A Contemporary Review of Mycoplasma Hyopneumoniae Control Strategies — is the first comprehensive published resource since 2008 to focus on this topic. It was first presented to veterinarians during the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) Annual Meeting, held Feb. 27 to March 1, 2016, in New Orleans.

“Unlike other swine health threats such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv), there aren’t clearly defined MH management strategies readily available,” said Lucina Galina Pantoja, DVM, PhD, senior manager, Pork Technical Services, Zoetis.

“Behind PRRSv and swine influenza virus, MH is the third most common cause of pneumonia. So our intention was to create an industry reference that provides real-world, practical protocols and allows veterinarians to understand MH control strategies.”

The manual was developed with the unique perspectives and experiences of a diverse group of eight experts who represent animal health, academia, diagnostics, swine veterinary practices and a genetics company:

• Lucina Galina Pantoja, DVM, PhD, Pork Technical Services, Zoetis
• Kent Schwartz, DVM, Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, Iowa State University
• Jim Lowe, DVM, MS, DABVP, Lowe Consulting, and a visiting instructor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Maria Pieters, DVM, PhD, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota
• Maria Jose Clavijo, DVM, PhD, PIC North America
• Joseph F. Connor, DVM, MS, Carthage Veterinary Service, Ltd.
• Paul Yeske, DVM, MS, Swine Vet Center
• Doug King, DVM, formerly of Zoetis

Their knowledge was formulated into repeatable protocols as part of a systematic, five-step approach for MH management that veterinarians can follow with their producer clients:

1. Establish current herd status of MH on the farm and goals based on that status.
2. Leverage diagnostics techniques that reveal your current status.
3. Understand and manage risk factors that influence disease transmission.
4. Consider control measures including maintaining a negative herd, vaccination, medication and disease elimination.
5. Monitor the efficacy of interventions.

“Regardless of a farm’s MH status, there are chapters in this manual that will be beneficial for production veterinarians,” Dr. Galina added.

Dr. Connor and Dr. Yeske are two of the collaborators who are sharing their decades of practical insights about managing the MH pathogen.

“I’ve seen change from our small farms to the production systems that we have today and recognize Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is still a major part of the disease complex,” Dr. Connor said.

“This manual puts together years of experiences as we have transitioned to different production systems and lets us look at this disease differently than we ever have before.”

“In the manual, we explain what’s going on, why this disease changed from where it was historically to what it’s doing today and how practitioners and producers can put together a control program that works for their specific farm,” Dr. Yeske said.

Approximately 60 pages in length, veterinarians can obtain a printed version by contacting their Zoetis representative. The manual also is available for download at MHyo5step.com, where veterinarians also can find a video series with more MH management insights provided by several of the manual’s collaborators.