Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. (BIVI) announced the four recipients of its annual Advancement in PRRS Research Awards. This year, BIVI awarded $100,000 to support four separate studies by independent swine researchers and practitioners in their investigation of novel ways to diagnose, control and eradicate this costly swine disease.
The research proposals were selected based on established criteria that include potential for economic impact to the swine industry, originality and scientific quality, and probability of success in completing the study.
The recipients are as follows:
- Jerry Torrison, DVM, Ph.D., University of Minnesota – A study on the effects of biofilters on the quantity of virus to determine the amount of PRRS virus exhausted from mechanically vented finishing barns versus barns with biofilters placed on the outside of exhaust fans.
- Darwin Reickes, DVM, Swine Vet Center, St. Peter, Minn. – A study on the effects of modified-live PRRS vaccine alone or in conjunction with killed-virus vaccines on late-term pregnant gilts.
- Spencer Wayne, DVM, Pipestone Veterinary Clinic, Pipestone, Minn. – An evaluation on the ecology of the PRRS virus in farrowing and the risk factors of virus transmission prior to weaning.
- Amber Stricker, DVM, Suidae Health and Production, Algona, Iowa – A study to determine whether there is a predictable degree of variability in PRRS virus ORF5 sequencing within and among state diagnostic labs.
Proposal entries for the 2010 Advancement in PRRS Research Awards are due January 1, 2010.
