SHIC Funded MSHMP Reports on 2021 Results and Progress

The Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project (MSHMP), funded in part by the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), continues to monitor trends in pathogen incidence and prevalence, including PRRS and the PRRS 1-4-4 L1C variant. MSHMP data analysis looked at the association of manure pumping activities and PRRS outbreaks as well as helped with outbreak investigations by comparing PRRSv sequences. MSHMP is facilitating sharing of health information by tracking multiple diseases, including transport and health relationships, and is growing into adding boar stud and growing pig data to the sow information already gathered.

The 2020-2021 season fortunately ended with the fourth lowest PRRSv breeding herd cumulative incidence (25.8%) during the last 11 years of monitoring. During the most recent year, MSHMP continued to monitor the emergence and dissemination of a new PRRS variant that caused production losses in the Midwest and changed, for the first time, the seasonality pattern historically observed with PRRS, a major epidemic occurring during spring-summer 2020. Exploratory data analysis showed that reporting PRRS outbreaks and manure pumping activities are associated as 40% of the breaks occurred within 30 days of this event regardless of type of manure storage. PEDv continued to be present at a low incidence level as the cumulative incidence remained at 3.5%.

Throughout the year, MSHMP provided outbreak investigation support by comparing PRRSv sequences to the MSHMP database in nine separate occasions as it was requested by six participants. This allowed MSHMP to become a communications facilitator, putting systems in contact whenever both parties agreed as outbreak investigations continued.

Transport data is acquired actively and has been analyzed. Movement data can be obtained at a granular level allowing for traceability but most importantly, allows the producer to follow the truck in real-time. Transport biosecurity compliance continues to become an achievable goal including every single step between the truck-wash, loading of pigs, unloading, and return to truck-wash. Characterization and description of transport data has shown that few transport vehicles come in contact with one-third of the farms of the participating production system, indicating an important level of connectivity. Furthermore, transport characterization highlighted the need to monitor vehicle biosecurity protocols towards disease control as trucks in this system will need to go through the truck wash before returning to a farm. Therefore, truck traceability (e.g. contact tracing) is possible with the current system which aids in complementing outbreak investigations.

MSHMP expansion continues at three levels: sow, boar, and growing pig populations. An approximate total of 42 boar studs from 13 participants have been added to the MSHMP database. The growing pig population continues to grow with seven companies sharing their growing pig locations. Work is being done towards linking sow and growing pig populations in the MSHMP database. 

SHIC, launched by the National Pork Board in 2015 solely with Pork Checkoff funding, continues to focus efforts on prevention, preparedness, and response to novel and emerging swine disease for the benefit of US swine health. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. SHIC is funded by America’s pork producers to fulfill its mission to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd. For more information, visit http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Sundberg at [email protected].