Recent widespread outbreaks of porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD) in North America have served as a dramatic reminder that infectious diseases can be devastating to pigs and profits.

And, it's not as if porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), swine influenza virus, ileitis, or any of the “old” diseases, such as Mycoplasmal pneumonia, have gone away.

Fortunately, there are effective approaches for dealing with most of these challenges. Putting a plan together to prevent, control or eliminate specific diseases starts with an accurate understanding of the health status of swine populations.

Perhaps “health status” is the wrong choice of words, since health and disease tend to be quite dynamic in many pig populations.

To keep track of these health dynamics, the producer, veterinarian and diagnostic laboratory must work together in a partnership to develop diagnostic approaches that are effective and worthwhile. Each party brings key expertise that is essential for accurate and timely disease diagnosis.

Understanding the normal production and health dynamics within a herd is the foundation for early detection of disease. Early detection is the key for effectively managing endemic, emerging and exotic disease problems.

The Partners

The producer, veterinarian and diagnostic laboratory all have important roles in keeping tabs on the health of pig populations.

The point person in tracking herd health dynamics is the producer/animal caretaker. The producer sees the pigs every day and is the first to observe changes in performance or clinical signs of disease. Therefore, the producer is the “expert” on a particular group of pigs. He/she knows, for example, how the pigs looked last week, or how the previous group of pigs looked or performed. These are important details for a complete understanding of why a group of pigs is performing as they are.

Next in the herd health partnership are the veterinarians with their specialized training and knowledge in disease diagnosis, treatment and control. They are trained to recognize the clinical signs associated with specific diseases, and the sampling and submission procedures necessary for effective diagnostic testing in the laboratory. Veterinarians know and understand the diagnostic tests available for different diseases, and how to interpret the various tests as they relate to the clinical history of the farm.

Veterinarians offer a different perspective by benchmarking the client herd against other similar herds, and through an awareness of pig health concerns in the geographic area. Working with the producer, the veterinarian is able to develop appropriate health monitoring programs as situations and producer goals dictate.

To be most effective, veterinarians need to understand the health status and goals of a herd, and then work closely with producers to achieve those goals.

The third member of the health monitoring team is the veterinary diagnostic laboratory. Many swine practitioners provide some degree of diagnostic service in their practice. However, veterinary diagnostic laboratories provide more specialized equipment, knowledge and service. These labs develop, validate and conduct diagnostic tests, and maintain a portfolio of diagnostic procedures for working up different types of cases.

In addition, diagnostic labs serve as a resource for veterinarians; advise on test selection and interpretation of results; and provide current information on disease trends regionally, nationally and even globally. Diagnostic laboratories also maintain key relationships with disease researchers, other diagnostic labs and animal health regulatory officials.

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