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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Virus and Prion Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #100474
Title: PROGRESS TOWARD THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF PORCINE REPRODUCTIVE AND RESPIRATORY SYNDROME

Author
item Mengeling, William
item Lager, Kelly
item Vorwald, Ann

Submitted to: American Veterinary Medical Association Abstract
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/13/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) was first recognized in North Carolina in 1987. Soon thereafter it spread to most of the other major swine producing areas of the United States, and in 1990 it made its first appearance in Europe. Today PRRS is present almost worldwide and it is now considered to be one of the most economically important disease faced by the swine industry. During the past decade PRRS and its causative virus (PRRS virus, PRRSV) have been the focus of numerous field and laboratory investigations. Such investigations have greatly increased our knowledge about both the disease and the virus, but there is still a great deal to learn about how the clinical impact of PRRS can be minimized and about how PRRSV can be contained (or eradicated, at least on a herd basis). In the following discussion we present some of what is currently known about the biophysical and biochemical properties of the virus and about the history, epidemiology, clinical signs, pathogenesis, lesions, diagnosis, and prevention of the disease. No attempt has been made to provide an exhaustive, documented review of the literature. Excellent, comprehensive reviews can be found elsewhere. Rather, our purpose here is to summarize those characteristics and properties of PRRS and PRRSV that we believe are of applied interest, and thus of most use to practicing veterinarians in their battle against this costly disease. We have also taken the liberty of pointing out what we believe are important gaps in our knowledge and what we believe should be future research objectives.