posted on Monday, January 12, 2015 in AMVC Veterinarians in the News
Research sheds light on PRRS management and control
The industry has come a long way in its knowledge about Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), and part of that advancement has come from the research projects funded through the Advancement in PRRS Research Award Program.
The program, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. has funded more than 30 research projects in the last 10-plus years, for a total investment of more than $900,000.
Three projects are funded each year, and they are selected by an independent PRRS Research Review Board (PRRB). Dr. Daryl Olsen, DVM, is managing partner of AMVC Management Services, headquartered in Audubon, Iowa, and he serves on the Review Board. He believes the Research Award Program helps 
practicing veterinarians as well as university specialists do research they wouldn’t be able to do otherwise.
Research on ventilation, filtration, boar studs and regional control have been pivotal to increasing the industry’s understanding of PRRS, says Dr. Olsen in this video.
“A lot of these projects started through funding that came through our research board,” he says. “They are driven by practitioners and people who needed funding for smaller projects that have had a great impact on our industry.”
Important to the Industry
Regional control has had a huge impact on the industry, says Dr. Olsen. “We’ve learned how to control wild virus when it comes into an area and we’ve learned different strategies to control PRRS.
“What we’ve learned about PRRS in terms of biosecurity and area control is having a great impact as we look at other viruses. I think we can apply about all of those strategies to other diseases and it has made us better in a lot of different ways.”
Practical Knowledge
The independent board is made up of people from a variety of different backgrounds, notes Dr. Olsen. “There are practicing veterinarians and researchers – it’s a very diverse group that is looking at solid research that’s very practical. We want things that can be used in the field,” he emphasizes.
For more information, watch this short video with Dr. Olsen.
Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI) provides three $25,000 awards to the winning proposals for PRRS research in the NAFTA region. Candidates include graduate students, academic researchers, company or private researchers, and practicing veterinarians. The deadline for submissions is January 1 of each year. For more information, go to: http://www.prrsresearch.com
Story Credit and Photo to: Pork Network and JoAnn Alumbaugh