The Swine Health Information Center-funded Domestic Swine Disease Reporting System shares information on endemic and emerging diseases affecting domestic swine via monthly reports, dynamic online dashboards, SwineCast, LinkedIn, YouTube channel, and podcasts. With the addition of data on influenza A virus in April 2022, the 50th monthly report, the three most relevant swine respiratory etiologies – IAV, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae – are all included. SDRS also includes data on porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, porcine deltacoronavirus, and transmissible gastroenteritis virus.
SDRS, developed in a collaborative project with data from Iowa State University, University of Minnesota, South Dakota State University, Kansas State University, and Ohio Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab, is currently the only publicly available source of swine health information from veterinary diagnostic labs. SDRS reports contain information aggregated from participating VDLs, providing data to assist veterinarians and producers in making informed decisions on disease prevention, detection, and management.
After aggregating information from participating VDLs on all viruses being monitored and summarizing the data, the input of the SDRS advisory group which consists of veterinarians and producers across the US swine industry is included. The intent is to provide an interpretation of the observed data and summarize the implications to the industry. The advisory group identified IAV, one of the major respiratory pathogens affecting the swine industry, as a gap in reporting due to its role as an element of the porcine respiratory disease complex.
The SDRS team and participating VDLs agreed with SHIC providing additional funding for incorporating IAV data. Now a database of information on IAV is initiated and moving forward; influenza subtyping information will also be incorporated in the report. Reports are published on the first Tuesday of each month on the SDRS website, sent to those who subscribe to the reports (send subscription request to sdrs@iastate.edu), included in the SHIC newsletter (subscribe here), and included in the AASV e-Letter. The website dashboard is updated daily, a real-time data source.
SDRS reports are the result of a VDL data standardization project SHIC supported. The SDRS model describes dynamics of disease detection by pathogen over time, specimen, age group, farm type, and geographical space. The report provides benchmark comparison data, providing tools for detecting trends, regionalization, and understanding how to react to outbreaks. The SDRS is the only source of information on active pathogens in all phases of production including the breeding and grow-finish segments. The SDRS team welcomes input for the report, which keeps evolving based on input from the industry and the advisory group since it was initiated in 2017.
SHIC, launched by the National Pork Board in 2015 solely with Pork Checkoff funding, continues to focus efforts on prevention, preparedness, and response to novel and emerging swine disease for the benefit of US swine health. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. SHIC is funded by America’s pork producers to fulfill its mission to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd. For more information, visit http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Sundberg at psundberg@swinehealth.org.