Pig Disease with a Capital P.

So, we get yet another new set of initials starting with "P."

But this is right. Although they may not have the exact details worked out, or collectively show any preparedness to be fully open or make a widespread admission of the connections between the various pig diseases, this is serious progress in the United States.

The British veterinary industry are still at the stage of not being prepared to face the implications that Porcine Circovirus hits the immune system and opens the door to other viral and bacterial infections: the human health implications being serious.

Circovirus is the driving force (originally under so-called the PMWS - PDNS manifestations) behind excessive antibiotic usage and opened the door to Classical Swine Fever and, Foot and Mouth in 2000 in Britain.

It did not cause either of those outbreaks, that was almost certainly recklessly imported germplasm, but resulting PCV impeded the early detection of imported disease until it was too late to snuff out the initial outbreak.

The rest is history.

The first mistake was importing PCV2, otherwise porcine circovirus, into Britain in 1998-1999 and hiding up the resulting epidemic.

The state veterinary crime wave that followed was the desperate culprits trying to avoid owning up. They finished up being reported to the serious crime squad of the EU - OLAF. Not that the EU did anything constructive, something that will come as no surprise to disease battered Britain.

The government veterinarians were already in trouble over Mad Cow - BSE, and awaiting the Phillips Inquiry report.

They knew they could not survive another scandal, certainly not one that cost billions, caused massive livestock culls, the deployment of the British Army into the countryside of Britain and delayed a general election.

With that background, it is not surprising that the writer, as a dangerous witness to Parliament, was subjected to abuse, defamation, threats, harassment and stalking: disgraceful but not really surprising.

In a minor way, it continues to this day and can be followed by those with a strong stomach on the newsgroup, uk.business.agriculture. That can be reached via Google Groups here.

The fascinating American Pork Network article can be read in full here

6 steps for a PRDC checkup

Marlys Miller, Editor, Pork Magazine   |   Updated: November 15, 2012

...For pigs, this means that porcine respiratory disease complex
(PRDC) can become more of a challenge.

As identified by its name, PRDC is driven by more than one pathogen or disease. Mary Battrell, DVM, with Murphy-Brown points out that some of the more common viral components of PRDC include porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRS), swine influenza virus (SIV), porcine cirovirus type 2 (PCV2), and porcine respiratory corona virus (PRCV). Certainly, PRRS, SIV, PCV2 are major players in the complex.

But, she points out that bacterial infections also can play a role, including Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Pasteurella multocida, Streptococcus suis, Haemophilus parasuis, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Actinobacillus suis, and Salmonella choleraesuis. Bacterial infections alone are not that difficult to treat or even prevent, Battrell says, but when the pig faces a combination of pathogens and/or stressors PRDC can surface and cause problems...