The folks at Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. have announced the recipients of its 2007 Advancement in PRRS Research Awards.
This year’s selected research programs focus on the development of monitoring and sample diagnostic guidelines, risk factors and transmission of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). Each year $75,000 is awarded to support three separate studies by independent swine researchers and practitioners in their investigation of new ways to diagnose, control and eradicate this costly swine disease.
The following are the 2007 award recipients and their research proposals recognized at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) Conference in Orlando, Fla.:
Jeff Zimmerman, DVM, PhD, Iowa State University, Ames (pictured on left) – research award to develop an inexpensive and convenient method for PRRS virus monitoring; to evaluate the stability of PRRS virus; and to develop guidelines for handling and diagnostic monitoring of oral fluid samples.
Derald Holtkamp, DVM, MS, Iowa State University, Ames (pictured in middle) – research award to conduct a cross-sectional study of PRRS-positive swine breeding herd sites to evaluate the association between risk factors and a case definition based on number and severity of clinical PRRS episodes.
Bob Morrison, PhD, MS, University of Minnesota (pictured on right) – for his research proposal to estimate, quantify and compare PRRS virus transmission information between pigs of different PRRS vaccination status.