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Revealing the history of pig blue-ear disease: How did it trigger the pig catastrophe in 1987?
In 1987, a mysterious pig disease appeared in the United States and Canada, initially called "porcine blue-ear disease." The disease causes reproductive failure and respiratory disease in pigs, leaving the industry confused. Over time, the scientific community gradually determined that this was caused by a disease called "Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus" (PRRSV). The emergence of this virus caused serious economic losses to the pig breeding industry and triggered a pig disaster between 1987 and 1988.
"The emergence of PRRS is undoubtedly a turning point in the development of the pig industry in the 20th century."
The first outbreak of PRRSV not only caused trouble in the United States, but also quickly spread to other parts of Europe and Asia. From 1990 to 1991, similar disease cases were reported in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and other European countries. Subsequently, in 1996, the disease was introduced to China and Taiwan. At that time, due to ignorance about PRRS, the initial outbreak of this virus did not receive enough attention, and there were very few relevant data recorded.
"The PRRS virus may have existed before the initial outbreak, but it was not recognized and received no attention."
Over time, the diversity of PRRSV has increased, making the epidemics more severe, especially in the multiple outbreaks in 1996, 2000 and 2007, which were accompanied by a surge in pig abortion rates. and increased mortality in growing pigs. The disease is also known as "swine AIDS" because of its unintentional cross-species transmission, which has led to economic losses in pigs worldwide.
Structure and genetic variation of PRRSV
PRRSV is a small, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus with a high degree of genetic variability. It is divided into two major types, "European type" and "North American type". Although the two types of viruses cause similar clinical symptoms, their genomes are about 40% different, making vaccine development more difficult.
"The high variability of PRRSV makes it a major challenge for vaccine development."
According to the latest research, PRRSV can be transmitted in a variety of ways, including direct contact and airborne transmission. Experiments show that pigs are most likely to be infected with PRRSV through intramuscular injection, followed by intranasal and oral routes. In terms of pathology, PRRSV mainly attacks monocytes and macrophages in pigs, causing respiratory and reproductive system diseases.
Control and preventive measures
As the understanding of PRRS deepens, laboratory testing technology continues to advance. At present, laboratory diagnosis of PRRS virus can evolve from the initial virus culture, and quantitative PCR detection has also been developed. The promotion of this technology has greatly improved the sensitivity and accuracy of detection.
"At present, active immunization is the key to controlling the spread of PRRS in pigs."
Pigs around the world have begun to be immunized with a variety of vaccines. In recent years, gene editing technology has also been used to breed PRRS-resistant pigs. In terms of policy, the measures taken by the industry include the separation of pigs, vaccination and stable management of pig herds, etc., which provide new possibilities for controlling the spread of the disease.
Conclusion
After decades of development, PRRS has undoubtedly become a major challenge to the global pig breeding industry. PRRS, which began in 1987, still affects the operations of countless farms today. With the advancement of science and technology, whether pig farmers can continue to find more effective ways to combat this disease remains an important issue in the future.
