SHIC-Funded Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Program Presented for Veterinary Diagnosticians’ Input

The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) initiated a veterinary diagnostic lab (VDL) data standardization project in 2017 and from there a regular Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report was developed, published monthly beginning in March 2018. The program’s principal investigator, Dr. Daniel Linhares, and project coordinator, Dr. Giovani Trevisan, both from Iowa State University, continually seek input from stakeholders to improve both process and deliverables. This October, Dr. Trevisan will give an oral presentation on the Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report during the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) Annual Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, with this as the goal. His presentation, and resulting feedback, will help make the SHIC-funded program stronger and more useful to producers, enhancing the on-going investment by SHIC as well as equipping the swine industry with important disease monitoring information. By instigating this porcine-focused project, SHIC is also providing an example of progressive programming for other commodities to consider. The title of Dr. Trevisan’s accepted abstract is, “Aggregating results and summarizing findings from multiple veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the US on a near real-time basis.” Cooperation between VDLs has been extraordinary and earns great praise from Drs. Trevisan and Linhares. Their priority is to maximize porcine-related data and practices to improve the dashboard, including using input generated by the presentation at the AAVLD annual meeting. “I think the big value to the swine industry has been, for the very first time, the ability to understand disease detection over time, geography, age, and specific stage in the porcine life cycle,” remarked Dr. Linhares. “As a whole, it allows the industry to have a good understanding of swine health information across variables.” SHIC’s Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report includes aggregated information from the Iowa State University VDL, South Dakota State University ADRDL, University of Minnesota VDL, and Kansas State University VDL on five pathogens, having grown from two VDLs and one disease when the program was launched. Shared via reports and online dashboard which is consistently updated for ease of use, the model describes dynamics of disease detection by pathogen over time, specimen, age group, and geographical space. Unique to this program is the aggregation of disease data in a format completely protecting the confidentiality of producers’ identities. An advisory group has been formed to help give context to the aggregated data and interpret it. The report uses data from VDL cases with molecular tests (PCR-based assays and virus genotyping) for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), enteric coronaviruses including porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (MHP). The report also includes information on disease detection by syndrome, including enteric, respiratory, and central nervous system (CNS). By funding this project, SHIC leads the industry toward better swine health information to positively impact the long-term sustainability of pork production. The near real-time information on swine disease made available by this system enables better, faster, and more effective response to endemic or foreign infectious diseases. The result is a stronger, more vibrant US pork industry. Funded by America’s pork producers to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd, the Swine Health Information Center focuses its efforts on prevention, preparedness, and response. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research for the benefit of swine health. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. For more information, visit https://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Paul Sundberg at [email protected].