Wean-age piglets are often used as a surveillance tool to monitor porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus status on the sow farm. From piglet blood to tongue tips to processing fluids, these samples are an effective way to monitor one of the most devastating diseases in the U.S. swine herd today.
However, collecting these samples requires adequate training and additional labor that cause limitations for many hog operations, said Hope Dohlman, a veterinary medicine student at Iowa State University.
“There is an ever-pressing need for samples that can be collected efficiently and with little need for specialized skills or time commitment on behalf of farm teams,” Dohlman said during the 2023 Allen D. Leman Swine Conference. “This need extends beyond the scope of PRRSV elimination and into surveillance of other pathogens including detection of PEDV (porcine epidemic diarrhea virus) or Lawsonia intracellularis.”
Finding an uncomplicated method to surveil diseases could be a great opportunity for the U.S. swine industry. That’s why Dohlman set out to analyze the level of detection of PRRSV material in wean-age piglets through the use of an absorbent mat.
She participated in this research study while working as a summer intern with Carthage Veterinary Service. She said the project interested her because it served as another wean pig sampling type that hadn’t been explored before.
Six wean pig loads were enrolled in the study at a PRRS-positive sow farm to analyze the level of detection of PRRS virus material in wean-age piglets through the use of an absorbent mat. A PigBlue absorbent mat soaked in 400 mL of distilled water was used as the sample treatment. During each of the six wean pig loads, the mat was placed in the loadout chute, and piglets were allowed to cross the mat following normal loadout procedures.
Mat fluid samples were then tested for PRRSV, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), and Lawsonia via ddPCR (digital droplet PCR) at an external laboratory.
Dohlman explained that ddPCR detection was positive on several samples with the following ranges in copies per liter (cp/L): PRRSV 64.2-216.5; PEDV 45.6-1,042; Lawsonia 85-1,773. In conclusion, swine pathogens were detected during wean pig loadout using the absorbent mat.
“The data collected from this project concluded that the PigBlue absorbent mat was able to detect swine pathogens at a low rate during wean piglet loadout. The mat also served as a durable sampling tool. It has applications in not only wean pig sample collection, but could have applications as an environmental sample as well,” she said.
Future use of this sample type may include testing incoming animals off of a delivery, she added.
“This study opened the door to many research opportunities utilizing the absorbent mat, protocol, and the ddPCR for future use within the swine industry,” Dohlman said.
Dohlman was one of the seven students competing for the 2023 Morrison Swine Innovator Prize.
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