August 21, 2007

Effective PRRS vaccine strategies may be available in 5 to 10 years

Effective vaccine strategies could reach the market within the next 5 to 10 years, a White Paper on PRRS drawn up by a team of veterinary experts predicted.

The paper is the result of the consideration of 22 national experts in PRRS, virology, immunology, and vaccinology.

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) - is the most significant disease problem facing the swine industry worldwide. The blue ear disease sweeping through China currently is a variant of PRRS. The US swine industry spends an estimated US$500-750 million each year dealing with the disease.

Thus far, no government has been able to develop an economical and effective control strategy for the disease, which was discovered two decades ago and continues to plague the industry today.

The White Paper is hopeful that effective vaccine strategies could be available in the next 5 to 10 years if future research proceeds along suggested pathways.

The White Paper identifies key areas for future research - including identifying the mechanisms of the PRRS virus and the components of the virus that would help induce protective immunity.