SHIC Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report Marks 100 Editions of Industry Collaboration and Swine Health Intelligence

The 100th Swine Health Information Center Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Report was published this month, marking an important milestone for the Swine Disease Reporting System (SDRS) and the broader US pork industry. Since its launch in 2018, SDRS has evolved from a focused diagnostic reporting effort into a nationally and internationally recognized framework for near real-time swine disease monitoring, analytics, communication, and preparedness. SHIC has served as the project’s primary funding and communication partner, helping guide development of a resource designed to strengthen US swine health and biosecurity.

Find both the special 100^th edition and June reports here.

Continual Improvement Through Measured Expansion

From SHIC’s perspective, SDRS represents a model of continual improvement driven by practical industry needs. The project initially focused on aggregated PCR diagnostic data for key endemic pathogens, including PRRSV, PEDV, PDCoV, and TGEV, from the Iowa State University and University of Minnesota veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Goals of the project are based around consistent collection and reporting of data from multiple sources in a standardized format for comprehensive swine health trend analysis.

Over time, the system expanded to include additional diagnostic laboratory partners: Kansas State University, South Dakota State University, Purdue University, Ohio Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, and is currently in the progress to include data from Illinois Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Together, these additions create a broader national infrastructure capable of delivering increasingly representative disease insights across US swine production regions.

SDRS has also steadily expanded its analytical capabilities. Additional surveillance targets including influenza A virus, M. hyopneumoniae, PCV2, PCV3, and E. coli PCR genotyping were incorporated, while PRRSV ORF5 sequencing efforts broadened national surveillance capacity. The PRRSV ORF5 Blast comparison tool offers one of a kind opportunity for a producer to compare their own PRRSV ORF5 sequences and identify similar sequences recovered at any of the six participant laboratories. Benchmarking tools, disease index rankings, confirmed tissue diagnoses, and exploratory outbreak-detection modeling have enhanced the practical value of the system for veterinarians and producers seeking actionable information rather than isolated diagnostic results.

Accessible, Trusted Industry Communication

SDRS has evolved into a highly accessible communication platform. In addition to monthly PDF reports published in the SHIC newsletter, the system now includes online dashboards, podcasts, bilingual video updates with English and Spanish captions, and enhanced graphical summaries designed to improve interpretation and broaden engagement across the industry. This commitment to accessibility reflects SHIC’s mission to ensure swine health information reaches producers, veterinarians, diagnosticians, and industry stakeholders in formats that support informed decision-making.

Industry adoption reflects the value of that investment. SDRS distribution has grown from 43 subscribers in 2018 to more than 800 recipients by April 2026, including veterinarians, producers, diagnosticians, researchers, and allied industry professionals. In 2025, the Domestic Disease Monitoring Reports became the most frequently accessed swine health resource on the SHIC website, demonstrating the industry’s reliance on timely and credible disease information.

Delivering Practical Value to Pork Production

The strength of SDRS lies in its ability to place diagnostic data into broader regional, seasonal, and production-system context. By aggregating routinely generated diagnostic laboratory information from across the country, SDRS helps users identify emerging disease trends, compare regional pathogen activity, monitor strain dynamics, and recognize unusual shifts before they become widespread industry challenges. Veterinarians frequently describe SDRS as an early warning system that supports proactive herd health decisions, biosecurity planning, and communication with producers and system leadership.

This capability aligns directly with SHIC’s mission to protect the health of the national swine herd through coordinated disease monitoring, preparedness, and response. SDRS has strengthened industry-wide awareness of major endemic diseases while helping stakeholders distinguish expected seasonal patterns from emerging abnormalities that may require additional mitigation efforts.

Supporting Research, Collaboration, and Industry Preparedness

Another defining strength of SDRS is its collaborative structure. The project successfully integrates expertise from universities, veterinary diagnostic laboratories, practicing veterinarians, production systems, and industry organizations. This cooperative approach has strengthened trust in the data and encouraged widespread industry adoption.

Beyond surveillance, SDRS data have contributed to 10 peer-reviewed scientific publications and supported graduate training opportunities in applied swine health analytics. The system has become an important training platform for the next generation of swine health professionals working at the intersection of diagnostics, epidemiology, and decision-making.

Importantly, SDRS findings have also informed broader industry and governmental initiatives, including discussions supporting the $2.5 million research initiative led by SHIC focused on improved biosecurity in Wean-to-Harvest systems. These outcomes demonstrate how SHIC’s investment in SDRS continues to generate value far beyond routine reporting by supporting coordinated, science-based responses to emerging disease challenges.

Looking Ahead

As SDRS moves beyond its 100th edition, the system continues to evolve through careful stewardship, collaboration, and practical innovation. Supported by SHIC and shaped by ongoing industry participation, SDRS has become a foundational component of US swine health infrastructure — providing timely, standardized, and actionable information that strengthens preparedness, supports biosecurity, and helps protect the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of the US pork production industry.

The Swine Health Information Center, launched in 2015 with Pork Checkoff funding, protects and enhances the health of the US swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats through preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data, and targeted research investments. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. For more information, visit http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Megan Niederwerder at [email protected] or Dr. Lisa Becton at [email protected].