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United front to tackle pig disease
Jo Power, Sub Editor
11 April 2008

The Landrace breed (pictured, a male) is discovered to have a reduced response to PRRS
Photo: British Pig Association
A workshop funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is to study porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). The disease can cause economic devastation for pig farmers, with estimated costs to the US pig industry alone running at $600 million a year.

 The workshop will bring together scientists and stakeholders to promote an interdisciplinary and transnational approach to beating PRRS, and to formulate future strategies. In addition to BBSRC funding, it is supported by the Genesis Faraday Partnership and the Epizone and EADGENE EC networks.
 

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Researchers into PRRS face a difficult task. The disease affects microphages, the first line of defence against pathogens, in a pig's lungs. It suppresses the immune system, allowing persistent infections to become established. Respiratory problems follow, with piglet deaths and abortion in pregnant sows. The virus can evolve rapidly, making vaccine development difficult.    
 
An earlier project funded by the BBSRC discovered that the macrophages of Landrace pigs have a reduced response to the virus. If scientists can uncover the genetic basis of this, it may be possible to develop pigs with an increased immunity to the virus.
 
Dr Tahar Ait-Ali, a PRRS researcher at the Roslin Institute, said: "PRRS is a hugely damaging disease – for the animals, the farming industry and consumers. Our research is showing us a way to remove the risk of a damaging disease from the list of worries. The workshop will give us the opportunity to bring together scientists, vets and industry representatives to share our ideas and set up collaborations for the future."