The US arm of Boehringer Ingelheim has announced three grants totalling £45,000 as part of its Advancement in PRRS Research Awards bringing the company’s investment in tackling the disease to £545,000 in the past 10 years.
The firm has now put money into 37 projects looking into PRRS that are aimed at providing practical approaches to disease management.
Announced at the recent American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) Conference in Dallas, the latest projects involve:
- Effect of maternal PRRS immunity on the response of pigs to vaccination with a homologous modified-live vaccine and subsequent response to heterologous PRRS virus challenge;
- Differentiating new PRRS virus incursions from resident virus strains; and
- Cleaning up oral fluid samples for improved diagnostics.
The three research proposals were selected based on established criteria that include potential for economic impact to the swine industry; originality and scientific quality; and probability of success in completing the study. “The recent emergence of PED virus reminds us of the importance of ongoing research in helping the swine industry deal with the constant threat of disease,” incoming AASV president Michelle Sprague said.
“Longstanding research programs like the Boehringer Ingleheim PRRS Research Awards do provide the practical, effective results that veterinarians can utilise to better diagnose, prevent and control PRRS. “As a swine veterinarian, I see first hand on swine farms the benefits these research programs provide. It is through this initiative that we have discovered many management practices that can give producers practical applications to implement to not only impact their own operations but also those of their neighbours.”