Meet the Expert

This second episode features once more Robert Hoste, Wageningen Economic Research, part of Wageningen University & Research, based in the Netherlands. In this podcast the topic is how to maintain profitability whilst focusing on sustainable pork production as well.

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae causes lung infections characterised by a low mortality, but high morbidity. This results in a higher FCR, lower daily growth, higher risk for secondary infections and increased treatment costs. Although M. hyo has been the topic of much research, its pathogenesis is still not completely clear, immune responses after infection and vaccination need to be further investigated. In this podcast host Vincent ter Beek of Pig Progress discusses the PhD study of Dr Evelien Biebaut, attached to Ghent University in Belgium, who spared no effort to learn more about how the bacteria behaves and how it can be controlled. Dr. Biebaut will tell you all about it.

This episode with Prof Dr Christian Visscher of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover, Germany, focuses on Lawsonia intracellularis (causing ileitis). He speaks about its effect on the microbiome, and how this affects pig production and for what extend oral vaccination can have effect on these.

Prof Joaquim Segalés is working as full professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain and is researcher at the Centre for Animal Health Research (IRTA-CReSA). He has been performing research on swine diseases since 1993. In this podcast, he discusses methods how to best vaccinate against Porcine Circovirus Disease, for sows, piglets, boars and gilts alike.

In this episode we welcome Dr Marina Sibila from the animal research institute CReSA-IRTA in Catalunya, Spain. Her research line focuses mainly on the epidemiology, diagnosis, animal model development and prevention/treatment strategies of porcine respiratory pathogens, mainly porcine circoviruses (PCV-2 and PCV-3) and porcine mycoplasmas. With Dr Sibila we shall discuss the diagnostics of Porcine Circovirus – type 2.

This episode is the first of two podcasts with associate professor Daniel Linhares of Iowa State University in the USA. He is a well-known global expert on Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus. This first episode revolves around monitoring of the virus in sow farms.

The word “sustainability” doesn’t need any introduction – trying to do more with less is on everybody’s mind. Making that happening, however, is easier said than done. During his many years at R&D with animal nutrition company Nutreco as well as in his role as professor at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, Leo den Hartog never stopped asking how the industry could achieve a better feed efficiency. He is optimistic there are still many things the industry can do to only do a better job in the future.

In this episode we are going to talk about Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae – causative agent for enzootic pneumonia in pigs. Very recently, new insights were acquired about costs related to eliminating the bacteria, after disease broke on a naïve breed-to-wean site. Guest in this podcast is Dr. Tom Gillespie, DVM, previously the owner and founder of Rensselaer Swine Services, and currently an international consultant for Performance Health LLC.

Veterinarians rely on others for our success. Identifying disease, treating disease, implementing biosecurity, conducting vaccinations, and most importantly to choose a course of action are all out of control regardless of farm size or ownership structure. This podcast discusses nearly 30 years of “lessons learned” in addressing health and production challenges in systems across the globe and how life can be easier using principles from the science of leadership.

“During winter time, the African swine fever virus may persist up to five months in the bone marrow of a wild boar's carcass” A significant reduction in Europe’s wild boar populations and good biosecurity on all swine farms are necessary steps to combat African swine fever, Professor Zygmunt Pejsak emphasises in this Meet The Expert podcast. Professor Pejsak was head of the swine diseases department at the National Veterinary Institute in Poland when ASF first entered the country across its Eastern border. He discusses strategic options against the disease and makes the case for having effective surveillance in any affected or potentially affected country to control the possible introduction of a novel virus genotype.

“We plan a quarantine time of a minimum eight weeks and if we use MLV PRRS virus vaccines, we prefer around 12 weeks” Gilt introduction procedures are discussed by Danish swine veterinarian Dr. Kristian Havn in the context of a herd averaging 1,000 sows with an annual replacement rate of 45-50%, meaning a need to bring in 500 replacement gilts per year. A target of introduction to the sow herd at 34 weeks old dictates that gilts must be no older than 22 weeks on arrival, to accommodate a 12-weeks quarantine period. How to expose them to herd pathogens is still an open question, he says, because we will want them to produce an adequate level of antibodies in their colostrum when they eventually enter the farrowing room.

“It’s important that pathogen exposure occurs early enough in the gilt’s life so she recovers from the infection, stops shedding the pathogen and is immunocompetent at the time of farrowing” Divide the young gilt’s time before breeding into the separate categories of development and acclimation, says Dr. Clayton Johnson of Carthage Veterinary Services in the U.S.A. Development aims to prepare her physiology for a future in reproduction, acclimation tries to arm her immune system to cope with the pathogens in the sow herd. Target at least 680 grams of gain per day in the gilt developer phase. How acclimation is handled needs to be specific to each pathogen and each herd.

“ASF virus is very resistant to physical and chemical factors, this means it can stay infective for weeks or even months” The resistance of the virus and the difficulties of decontamination are just two of the issues facing swine farms that are located in an area where the infection is known to be present, says Dr. Tomasz Trela, Boehringer Ingelheim's technical manager for swine in Central and Eastern Europe. Quite new for swine veterinarians is the situation where wild boar represent a huge reservoir of pathogens surrounding the farms. All potential carriers of the virus onto a farm must be considered.