The Swine Health Information Center’s Standardized Outbreak Investigation Program (SOIP) includes a downloadable Word-based form and a web-based application to conduct standardized outbreak investigations. The program and tools were developed in response to an industry need for consistency in data collection and results across different investigators, outbreaks, and farms. Prompted and funded by SHIC, the web-based application has been available for nearly two years after development by program lead, Dr. Derald Holtkamp, Iowa State University, along with colleague, Dr. Kate Dion. Using aggregated outbreak information, investigators share herein detailed lessons learned through SOIP development and industry use.
In 2021, SHIC funded the development of the SOIP through a working group of 14 swine veterinarians formed to develop the terminology, approach, and instrument. In 2023, the tool was endorsed by the American Association of Swine Veterinarians Board of Directors for use in conducting outbreak investigations for swine pathogens. A web-based version for the standardized application was launched in 2024 with funding from SHIC, increasing the ease by which veterinarians can use and capture data from investigations in a secure database.
Outbreak investigations offer valuable opportunities to identify and prioritize biosecurity hazards. Dr. Holtkamp noted the saying, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” While outbreaks are undeniably a crisis, they also present a chance to learn—though that learning is not automatic. When outbreak investigations are conducted comprehensively and systematically with the goal of identifying biosecurity hazards within the production system, they consistently generate insights that make the time and resources invested worthwhile.
SOIP Key Findings
▪️Each entry event where a pathogen-carrying agent enters the farm poses a risk. Employee entry is the most frequent entry event (about 6,158 events annually for a 4,000-sow farm).
▪️Swine movements (cull sows and weaned pigs) were most often assigned a high hazard rating, followed by mortality removal, employee entry, and repairs inside barns.
▪️Outbreak investigations not only identify biosecurity hazards but also highlight systemic weaknesses in execution, planning, and monitoring. Industry-wide outbreak investigation data enables prioritization of resources to strengthen biosecurity.
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