Doc's Blog

What is this lesion identified at autopsy section of the nasal cavity from this 10-week-old pig?

Atrophic Rhinitis

Cytomegalovirus rhinitis

Pseudorabies rhinitis 

Wow, what a development! Through new gene editing technology named CRISPR-Cas9, researchers have developed a method to make pigs resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS). This is a huge game-changer!

Like the old saying there is a new sheriff in town, there is a new virus threatening swine operations across the U.S. Only a few herd cases of Seneca Valley Virus (SVV) has been reported but it is causing a major consternation among veterinary diagnosticians and regulatory authorities. You see SVV symptoms are identical to Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) – one of the most feared diseases around the world. The FMD virus was eradicated in the U.S. in the late 1920’s. U.S. authorities have been diligent in keeping it out of the country since then. FMD would be catastrophic to U.S. agriculture. Consequently anything that mimics FMD causes great alarm to our government animal health agencies and state and federal regulatory veterinarians. Space and time prevents form describing the significance of the economic losses if FMD were to enter the U.S.