“Golden Rule”
PRRS Control
Dale Polson

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
If PRRSv really costs us
$560,000,000 to $700,000,000
per year, maybe it’s well worth
it to us all to actively work
together using all the weapons
we have available today to
manage it in a coordinated
collaborative effort.

The Questions…
• Why do PRRS-negative
farms go positive?
• Why do PRRS-positive
farms break again and
again?

Why do negative farms go positive?
60% of PRRS-naïve
farms in this study got
infected within 3 years…

Why do positive farms break…
…again & again?

The question in COMMON:
Where do the other
PRRS viruses that
already exist and that
you don’t currently
have (and don’t want)
come from?

The question UN-common:
Where do the NEW
(different) PRRS
virus variants (that
don’t yet exist) come
from?

PRRSv

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
New PRRSv Variants:
Growing
Pigs?

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
WT3
WT1
WT2
WT99

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
New PRRSv Variants:
Farrowing?

Farm X Farm Y
WT(x) ORF5 WT(y) ORF5
sequence sequence
heterology over heterology over
9 months -vs- 12 months -vs-
WT(x) INDEX WT(y) INDEX
virus virus
% ORF5 nucleotide heterology (vs WT-Index)
WT- % ORF5 nucleotide heterology (vs WT-Index)
WT-

PRRS is
messy…

…and expensive.

So, we give up…right?

Golden Rule PRRS Control:
Collaborating on the
support, implementation
& execution of Area-
Regional PRRS Control

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Basis for the
Area-Regional
Control (ARC)
of PRRSv

The Golden Rule
“Do unto
your neighbor
as you would have
your neighbor
do unto you.”

The Golden Rule (applied to PRRS)
“Transmit unto your
neighbor
as you would
have your neighbor
transmit unto you.”

PRRS is something…
…no one wants to get
from their neighbor.
…no one wants to give to
their neighbor.

PRRS is also something…
…those currently without
it are at risk of getting.
…those currently with it
are at risk of spreading.

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
ARC:
Background
& Overview

The
Stockdale
Paradox:
Confront the
brutal facts,
Vice Admiral
James Bond Stockdale but never
give up.

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Premise #1:
Complementary and coordinated
methods which, applied together,
target reduction of wild-type virus
circulation within and among sites,
pigflows and networks are essential for
effective management of PRRS within
and among areas/regions…

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Premise #2:
The most effective utilization of
these methods requires a higher
degree of communication,
cooperation, coordination, and
collaboration than is the norm
across our industry…

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Premise #3:
The necessary broad acceptance and
widely-supported level of PRRS ARC
will not be achieved via traditional
experimental research alone; but will
require a body of evidence and track
record of success via multiple proof-of-
concept field-based pilot projects.

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Goals
• Growing Pigs
– Improve pig performance (direct)
• Mortality, culls, gain, conversion, treatment cost
– Reduce wild-type virus load, genetic diversity & new
variant emergence (indirect)
• Breeding Herds
– Reduce clinical episode… (direct)
• Frequency (break interval, breaks per ‘X’ years)
• Duration & magnitude (time-to-negative-pigs)
– Reduce wild-type virus load, genetic diversity & new
variant emergence (indirect)

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Purpose
Understand how PRRS moves &
changes among herds within and
among areas/regions, as well as
across flows/networks, in order to
develop & execute optimally
effective coordinated,
collaborative management plans.

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Objectives
• To identify factors associated with the spread of
PRRS virus in areas/regions as well as across
flows/networks
• To determine the genetic variation of PRRS
viruses within areas/regions and to compare these
to neighboring areas / regions whose operational
networks overlap / cross-over
• To recommend strategies that will reduce the
spread of PRRS virus among farm
sites/flows/networks and areas/regions and that may
be used in a PRRS virus control (ultimately
elimination) program

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Objectives
• To improve communication within and between
ARC Working Groups and allied supportive groups
by sharing knowledge and resources
• To share knowledge and to avoid duplication of
effort & resources through collaboration with
industry partners and businesses
• To facilitate adoption of available technologies
• To develop a template for addressing other
industry health issues
• To set up a feedback mechanism to evaluate and
adjust the course of action

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
ARC Projects should…
…have a standardized, readily executed plan (to achieve
acceptance, support & compliance)
– Activity outline & schedule
– Metrics & measurement
– Milestones & contingencies
…enable objective evaluation of potential new intervention
methods, thus fostering agreement on optimal
intervention methods (“best practices”)
…generate relatively consistent & sustainable results
…be financially beneficial (meets/exceeds required B:C &
ROI)

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Effective area
control requires a
well designed plan
& coordinated
execution.

Area/System-Level PRRS Management

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
A Swine PRRS Management Model
Start
Positive (+ clinical) Negative (naïve)
achieve stability...
achieve stability... new disease introduction
undesired circulation
Stabilize Eliminate Prevent
PRRS PRRS
Positive Naïve

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Effective area control
requires a full arsenal
of weapons & people
who all commit to
using them right.

Area/System-Level PRRS Management

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
• PRRS Management Best Practices
– Protocols, Procedures & Compliance ARC
• Risk Assessment
– External introduction risks (i.e., biosecurity)
Arsenal
– Internal circulation risks (e.g., flow & sanitation)
• Exposure Management
– At an operational level (Site – Flow – Network)
– At a proximity level (Neighborhood – Area – Region)
• Immune Management
– Target population, Timing & Tool(s)
– Replacements & Breeding Herd –vs– Growing Pigs
• Measurement & Data Management
– Case Definition, Terms & Site/Flow Categorization Standards
– Sampling, Testing, Interpretation & Classification Standards
– Data & Information Management Tools & Databases

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Weapon:
Risk Assessment

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
0.71 0.66 0.41 0.33
• 2008
0.66 0.33

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
A broader application…
• Potential use in regional or national
PRRSv elimination efforts…
– Define geographical, and/or operational,
boundaries for regional control (elimination)
projects based on the risk profile of sites
within and near the boundaries.
– Define standard practices or management
changes based on risk profiles following
successful eradication of individual sites.
– Identify specific risk factors that must be
eliminated before single site or regional
eradication efforts begin.

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Weapon:
Immunization

Summary of qPCR data PRRS vaccination-
heterologous challenge study in growing pigs.
Percent Challenge Wild-Type PCR Positive qPCR Log Titer of Wild-Type PCR Positives

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Growing Pigs:
PRRSv Monitoring

Area/System-Level PRRS Management

Area/System-Level PRRS Management

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Growing Pigs:
Performance

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Percent Marketed (ofPROCESS
Xbar-R Chart of RATE by weaned)
1 2
0.96
Each data point = 8 weeks of closeouts U C L=0.9470
_
_
1
0.92 1 1 X=0.9235
Sample M ean
LC L=0.9001
1
0.88
0.84
1 1 1
1
0.80
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31
Sample
1st mktg project impacted pigs
1 1
2
0.16
1
1
Sample Range
0.12
U C L=0.0974
0.08
_
R=0.0486
0.04
0.00 LC L=0
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31
Sample

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Nursery Average-Daily-by NURchg hd/da)
Xbar-R Chart of NUR Gain (lb/
1 2
1
1.0
Each data point = 8 weeks of closeouts
Nursery bubble depop effect
Sample M ean
0.9 _ C L=0.8912
U
_
1 1 X=0.8559
1 1
1 1 1 1 1 LC L=0.8206
0.8
0.7
1 1 1
1
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31
Sample
1st project impacted pigs
1 2
1
0.3
Sample Range
0.2
1
0.1
U C L=0.0613
_
R=0.0188
0.0 1 LC L=0
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31
Sample

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Finisher Average-Daily-by FINchg hd/da)
Xbar-R Chart of FIN
Gain (lb/
1 2
2.25
Each data point = 8 weeks of closeouts U C L=2.1939
1
2.10
Sample M ean
_
_
X=2.0008
1
1.95 1 1
1 1 1 1
1
1.80 LC L=1.8078
1 1 1 1
1
1
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31
Sample
1st mktg project impacted pigs
1 2
U C L=0.3415
1
0.3
Sample Range
0.2 _
R=0.1832
0.1
LC L=0.0249
0.0
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31
Sample

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Breeding Herds:
PRRSv Monitoring

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
Area B: estimated time-
to-negative weaned pigs

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
ARC:
Learnings

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
• An area-level PRRSv management
plan can be successful, given:
– Inclusion of all necessary elements
targeting…
• Exposure & circulation management
• Immune management
– Appropriate monitoring & measurement
• Sampling-testing-characterization of
system PRRSv’s
– Commited, coordinated, consistent &
persistent execution

The
Stockdale
Paradox:
Confront the
brutal facts,
Vice Admiral
James Bond Stockdale but never
give up.

Area/System-Level PRRS Management
If PRRSv really costs us
$560,000,000 to $700,000,000
per year, maybe it’s well worth
it to us all to actively work
together using all the weapons
we have available today to
manage it in a coordinated
collaborative effort.

Thank you…
Questions?