Boehringer Ingelheim develops PRRS handbook

In the late 1980s, a mysterious disease began affecting pigs in Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, and North Carolina. In the decade that followed, the disease spread quickly in both the United States and Europe. As the industry learned more about the devastating illness, it was given a name — porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). Nearly 40 years later, PRRS has become the most economically significant disease affecting the swine industry, with losses estimated at $1.8 million per day.

Because details on how to control this virus are far from complete, Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) recently released the “PRRS Knowledge Manual.” Compiling collaborative research and global perspectives from a variety of sources across academia and swine production, the manual chronicles more than 25 years of PRRS history and immunology. It also includes practical advice for prevention and control.

“Over the years, Boehringer Ingelheim has worked with key academic researchers and swine practitioners, funding field-applicable research to deliver real-world answers both producers and veterinarians could put to immediate use,” says Reid Philips, DVM, technical manager for PRRS at Boehringer Ingelheim’s U.S. Swine Division.

Timeline of Accomplishments

In 1994, BI introduced Ingelvac PRRS MLV, a vaccine for growing pigs to control PRRS. Three years later, the product’s label claim was expanded to include gilts and sows at all stages of production.

In 2003, work began on the Production Animal Disease Risk Assessment Program. Two years later, BI gifted the tool to the American Association of Swine Veterinarians.

To this day, the tool is used to help producers and veterinarians evaluate PRRS risks.

That same year, what would come to be known as the Awards for Advancing Research in Respiratory Disease was launched to fund field-applicable research in PRRS control. The research has led to game-changing knowledge.

Also in 2003, research by Scott Dee, DVM, and others evaluated the risk of the virus spreading during transport. A year later, the research was expanded to evaluate the best protocols for sanitizing contaminated transport vehicles in the absence of drying.

Thanks, in part, to Dee’s research on filtration in 2005, air filtration systems to reduce the risk of aerosol virus transmission became common on many farms.

BI also developed its five-step process that year. The process provided producers and veterinarians with a systematic platform to coordinate and optimize the use of health management tools.

In 2008, the industry and academia came together to form the first Area Regional Control project aimed at controlling PRRS on a large, regional scale.

The following year, BI partnered with the University of California, Davis to launch the Disease BioPortal, a web-based epidemiologic tool used to characterize PRRS and the movement of the virus over time.

The tool allows producers and veterinarians to analyze and visualize multiple sources of animal health and management data and identify emerging trends and changes in health status on a site, system, or area basis.

The company also started the PRRS Solutions Team, with a focus on the development of PRRS control tools, processes, and methodologies. The group collaborates with industry stakeholders to implement these strategies in the field, ultimately improving the industry’s knowledge of and ability to control PRRS.

In 2011, Dee and others examined the length of time the virus can survive in slurry. The results showed that both the interior and exterior of manure-spreading equipment are capable of infecting pigs with PRRS.

A decade later, Flex ParvoPRRS is introduced. The one-injection solution provided essential control of both porcine parvovirus and PRRS.

The BI Legacy Continues

While this list is not exhaustive, it demonstrates the numerous achievements the industry has made in combating PRRS.

“Through the years, we have made tremendous strides in PRRS management, none of which would have been possible without the dedication of academic researchers, veterinarians, and producers,” Philips says. “More than 25 years after the introduction of Ingelvac PRRS MLV, have we answered all the questions pertaining to PRRS? Not yet.”

As the company that brought the industry’s first modified-live PRRS vaccine to market, BI says it is committed to continuing its legacy in PRRS protection.

“The ‘PRRS Knowledge Manual’ is a milestone in this legacy, documenting more than 25 years of progress in PRRS management, but also celebrating the community of industry professionals who made that progress possible,” says Lara Sheeley, former executive director of swine and poultry divisions at Boehringer Ingelheim.

Some of the information outlined in the manual includes:

1. Foundations of PRRS. This chapter includes information related to PRRS immunity and the economic impact of the virus.
2. Best principles of PRRS control. In this chapter, the author details the three core pillars of PRRS control: maximize immunity, minimize exposure/transmission, and measure and monitor with diagnostics.
3. The role of vaccine-derived immunity in PRRS control. This chapter outlines the direct and indirect benefits of vaccination.
4. Implementation of PRRS control strategies. Outlined in this chapter are best practices for control, including the five-step process and infection control methodologies created by Boehringer Ingelheim.

To download a free copy of the “PRRS Knowledge Manual,” visit https://bi-animalhealth.com/swine/resources/prrs-knowledge-manual.