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Leman: Economic impact of PRRS

Onyekachukwu Henry Osemeke, Iowa State University, and colleagues at University of Minnesota, presented the results of a study at the 2024 Leman Swine Conference.

The last economic impact of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in the United States was estimated in 2013 at $664 million a year, using data from 2005 to 2010. Over the last decade, the swine industry has undergone significant changes. This study updated the annual economic impact of PRRSV on US pork producers due to lost productivity.

Data from 2016 to 2020 were used, following the same methodology as the 2013 study. Four factors were used to estimate the cost of PRRSV: the productivity differences between herds that are affected by PRRSV compared to unaffected herds, the distribution of herds according to PRRSV status, the national swine inventory, and production prices and costs.

To estimate productivity differences, breed-to-wean herds (BH) were assigned categories based on the updated American Association of Swine Veterinarians breeding herd classification system, vaccine use, and outbreak history.

BH were classified as:

  • BH-A if PRRSV-provisional negative or negative,
  • BH-B if PRRSV-positive stable,
  • BH-C if PRRSV-positive unstable,
  • BH-D for the first 16 weeks following an outbreak in an initially PRRSV-positive herd,
  • BH-E for the first 16 weeks following an outbreak in an initially PRRSV-negative herd.
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Stress as a Nutrient Thief - Dr. Sarah Pearce

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In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Sarah Pearce, Research Animal Physiologist with USDA ARS, explains why stress can act as a nutrient thief in pigs. She discusses gastrointestinal health, barrier integrity, inflammation, feed efficiency, stress interactions, and emerging biomarkers that may help predict performance challenges before they occur. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/af/article/1...

"Stress can steal calories and nutrients because energy normally used for growth is redirected toward immune activation, gut repair, and other costly survival responses."

Meet the guest: Dr. Sarah Pearce / sarah-pearce-phd-3a5881a5 earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from Iowa State University and currently serves as a Research Animal Physiologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Her research focuses on gastrointestinal physiology, nutrition, stress biology, immune function, and productivity in pigs and poultry. Learn more from Dr. Sarah Pearce on the Swine Nutrition Black Belt Podcast, available on all major platforms.