In an effort to help swine veterinarians and producers find effective measures for managing porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PED or PEDv), Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI), is launching two PEDv-focused initiatives. At the recent American Association of Swine Veterinarians Annual Meeting in Dallas, BIVI announced a commitment to PEDv applied research and sponsorship of a PEDv information-sharing service called "PED News," both starting immediately.
According to Greg Cline, DVM, technical manager for swine enteric disease at BIVI, these two initiatives are designed to help discover, coordinate and share information related to PEDv that may be useful in helping vets and producers better prevent, manage and control this disease.
For 2014, the applied research commitment includes up to $50,000 in research funds supporting the development of knowledge and tools targeting the practical management of PEDv. "We will be focused on helping the industry to find answers to some of the most critical questions regarding PED," explains Cline. "From our long research history with PRRS, Lawsonia intracellularis, PCV2 and other diseases, we continue our commitment to finding solutions through applicable research targeted toward the tough problems that plague the swine industry."
In addition to the applied research commitment, BIVI is now sponsoring a PED News service to swine veterinarians. For years, the Center of Animal Disease Modeling and Surveillance (CADMS) at the University of California, Davis has offered a service called "FMD News." BIVI has collaborated with CADMS to adapt this platform for PEDv. Similar to FMD News, PED News aggregates information from around the world, summarizes it in English, and sends the information to subscribers with a link to the original source. "We saw a need for this type of information-sharing service to help the North American swine industry stay as current as possible with the all the PED-related information," notes Cline.
"Because this highly contagious disease is relatively new to the U.S. and its impact on producers can be so devastating, it's critical that everyone work together to find effective solutions and share information," Cline says. "These two initiatives should help us to better understand this highly contagious disease and how to more effectively manage PED."
Interested readers can subscribe to PED News online.
