COST Action FA902: Understanding and combating porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome in Europe
The main objective of the Action is to improve knowledge on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) in Europe in order to identify effective strategies to combat it.
Twenty years after its emergence, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is still having major impacts on pig health and welfare. The etiologic agent is the PRRS virus. PRRS remains a challenge to the sustainability of pig production, especially with the emergence of new highly pathogenic PRRSV strains. To date, European PRRS research programs have been fragmented.
The objectives of the Action are to generate specific outcomes such as the identification of key challenges and propose potential solutions to problems to increase progress and facilitate the use of new technologies in animal health. With a specific emphasise on genetics and genomics this Action will improve understanding of, and hence better control, of PRRS.
The strategies derived from this Action will benefit animal health, producers, public health and allied organizations that have a stake in animal agriculture systems. The recommendations will be widely disseminated and serve as a roadmap for training and future initiatives.
Keywords: porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), epidemiology, immunopathology, vaccine, diagnostics