Shadowing Practice: Disease Surveillance Part 4 - Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hello my name is George Chalmers and today I'm here at SRUC Vet Centre near Craveston.
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I'm going to be talking to Pernay Jorgensen, a Veterinary Investigative Officer and today we're going to be talking about purrs and pigs,
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looking at the effects and also what farmers can do about it
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if they find they get it or how they can try and keep it out.
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Purs is the most economically damaging disease to pig herds in Scotland.
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It causes stillbirths and abortions in the breeding herd and also can lead to respiratory diseases in the growing herd.
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The control and eradication of Purs is vitally important for the Scottish pig industry.
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It will improve the health of the pigs obviously but also the efficiency and the economics of the sector.
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Not only will these areas benefit but a major consideration is
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that as the efficiency improves the carbon footprint of the Scottish pig sector will also improve.
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For more information please refer to the FAS website at faz.scot.
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PERS, also known as PRRS,
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stands for Pocine Reproductive and Respiratory syndrome and it's a viral disease in pigs worldwide.
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It's also been known as blue ear disease
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which sort of classifies the blue ears that some pig might develop when they get infected.
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The disease has been present in the UK since 1991 and in Scotland in 1992 and it's now endemic in the country.
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There are two types of virus, two genotypes of PERS.
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There's the type 1, PERS type 1, which is the European genotype and then there's the American one which is type 2.
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We only have PERS type 1, the European genotype in the country at the moment.
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Well, PERS is one of the most important diseases in Scotland
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and it's mostly present in the farms in the northeast of Scotland just because there's the most commercial farms in this area.
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A survey from the abattoir, it's a historic survey from the abattoir in 19,
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showed that about 44% of finishing farms had pigs with antibody in them.
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Pirs can affect pigs differently depending on their age and their immune system, and depending on whether it's a breeding herd and a finishing herd.
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As the name implies, It's called porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome in pigs.
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So the main effects we see from a purse infection is reproductive issues in sows,
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which includes abortions, stillbirths, born of weak piglets,
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increase in pre-weaned mortality and return to oestrus.
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And the respiratory part is often pneumonia, interstitial pneumonia in growing pigs.
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In chronically affected herds you might see asymptomatic pigs
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which means they don't look particularly sick from Perse
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but they harbour the virus in their body
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which means they can affect other pigs
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and they can also become sick with other diseases because they become immunosuppressed by the virus.
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So they're quite prone to bacterial diseases on top.
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In more acutely affected herds if the Perth virus has ever been present before.
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They don't have an immune response to the virus
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and they will often go down with severe disease on the unit and that's sort of acute deaths due to fever.
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They have varimia, virus in the blood.
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They can get respiratory distress, diarrhea, weight loss and just death in all groups.
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So this might be a bit scary if that happens.
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It could resemble ASF coming into a herd, so it's important to do some further diagnostics to rule that out.
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PERS only affects pigs, domestic and feral, so wild boars can be infected too.
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And it cannot be transmitted to humans, not from live pigs or from meat products.
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Because it's mainly pigs who harbour the virus, the main way of getting introduction of the virus into a unit is by bringing in pigs.
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And that often in a breeding unit that would involve getting gills in or even boars as replacements.
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So it's important to make make sure that they are in quarantine and that you source them from PERS-free units.
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The virus can be found in all secretions, semen, saliva, blood, so it's important also to make sure that
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when you bring in bores that they are free from PERS
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and are quarantined and if using AI as your main method of service to make sure
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that they are certified free of PERS.
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The virus does not survive well outside the pig host,
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however there are other ways of transmitting purrs within a farm or between farms than by pig to pig contact.
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It can be transmitted by flies, slurry, infected slurry and even airborne and that's why
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important risk factor for purrs is proximity to other pig herds just because it gets spread by the wind.
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It can also be briefly be alive on infected clothes and vehicles, hence cleaning and disinfecting is important.
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Once PERS is in a unit it spreads really quickly by nose-to-nose contact between pigs.
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It can also be transmitted from the sow to her piglets and over the placenta when she's pregnant.
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And as discussed before it also can transmitted through the semen.
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So if there's insemination or service by an infected bore that can also cause infection.
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It's quite easy to diagnose spurs on a unit if it's suspected by the clinical science.
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We have many ways of diagnosing it mainly
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because the virus is present in all of secretions in the pigs which include semen, blood and saliva.
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So it doesn't even need a vet sometimes to take the actual samples
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because we can have chew ropes where we just place a rope
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within a pen and the the pigs can chew on it
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and then we can do a PCR at the lab which will detect virus.
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Other ways of diagnosing PERS would be to submit dead animals for post-mortem examination.
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That's especially a good idea if it's an acute death and we don't suspect PERS, mainly because we can't detect the interstitial pneumonia we see in growers
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unless we get a carcass and we can get the lungs for PCR testing and histopathology.
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We can also examine aborted fetuses for the presence of PERS virus.
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When PERS has been diagnosed in a farm it's important to
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talk to your vet about any strategies to control the disease on the unit.
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Each farm is different and have different needs and management systems, so it's important to refer with your vet and get a plan in action.
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Once a herd is diagnosed and infected, producers can go many ways to try and control the infection.
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Overall, the immune response of each of the herd and the individual pig is important for how the disease will develop.
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Once a herd is diagnosed with PERS, many choose to vaccinate as a way of controlling the disease within a herd.
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The vaccination serves two purposes.
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One is to reduce the clinical signs
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and the severity of the disease in the individual pigs so they don't die and get sick.
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And the second part is to ensure that they secrete as little virus as possible
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so they don't affect other pigs in the pens.
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In breeding herds, it's often protocol to vaccinate the sows, by which ways we protect the piglets through the colostrum.
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So they receive antibodies to the purrs when the sows and by which ways we protect the the piglets through the colostrum.
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So they receive antibodies to the purse when the sow is vaccinated which protects them until about six to eight weeks.
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At this time though the immune the passive immune system
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that they've sort of gained from the sow will wean
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and then sometimes it's recommended to also treat or sorry to vaccinate the the piglets themselves.
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Of course for this method to work it's important to ensure that the piglets always receive enough colostrum.
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The persistence of purse infection within a farm is reliable on two things.
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It's the presence of pigs who carry virus, who are chronically infected, and the bringing in of new naive pigs to the unit.
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So like we've discussed before that includes bringing in replacement gilts
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and having piglets born from sows who have never been exposed to virus
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and thereby mixing them with older pigs who might carry the virus.
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Improvement of the farm's biosecurity is also important to ensure
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that purse doesn't spread within a unit and outweigh the unit to neighbours and other farms.
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Keeping equipment and pens or just pig accommodation clean and disinfecting it in between batches is important to reduce the virus load.
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And also make sure that vehicles for transport
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and clothing in between different groups are kept clean so we don't spread it around.
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Fly control and avoid overstocking and good ventilation also helps reduce the pressure from the spread of the virus.
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Some people might consider with their vet to do a partial or full depopulation on the unit,
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but this is a big decision with many factors involved, so that's best discussed in detail with your vet.
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The Scottish pig industry is very interested in not just controlling pers as a disease, but to try and eradicate the disease on a national level.
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They've tried that by starting a pilot project which involved pig units in the Murray Coast area,
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where they tried to map out which farms had PERS and to try and control it.
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And the project worked really well and showed
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that a collaboration between the individual producers and the pig industry and vets and stakeholders
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is a good way to try and eliminate PERS on a national level.
About This Lesson
In this lesson, learners will engage in an in-depth discussion about Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), focusing on its impact on pig health and the agricultural economy. Through this lesson, you will practice your English speaking and comprehension skills by listening to a conversation between a veterinary expert and an interviewer. By exploring the details of PRRS, including its symptoms, effects on pig herds, and strategies for control, you can enhance your vocabulary related to veterinary science and agriculture. This lesson is particularly useful for those interested in improving their English pronunciation and fluency within a specific context.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS): A viral disease affecting pigs, leading to reproductive and respiratory issues.
- Stillbirth: The birth of a piglet that is not alive.
- Pre-weaned mortality: The death of piglets before they are weaned from their mothers.
- Immunosuppressed: A condition in which an animal's immune system is weakened, making it more susceptible to diseases.
- Quarantine: The isolation of animals to prevent the spread of disease.
- Biosecurity: Practices aimed at preventing the introduction and spread of diseases on farms.
- Genotype: The genetic constitution of an organism that can affect its disease resistance.
- Asymptomatic: Showing no symptoms or signs of disease.
Practice Tips
To effectively utilize the shadowing technique with this video, focus on the pace of the speakers. The conversation is informative and clear, making it an excellent resource for practicing English pronunciation. As you listen, try to shadow speak by repeating phrases immediately after they are said. Pay attention to the intonation and stress placed on key terms like "PRRS" and "quarantine." This will help you improve English pronunciation significantly.
Be sure to practice in smaller sections, mimicking the rhythms and tones of the speakers. If you find certain phrases challenging, isolate them and practice repeating them multiple times. Your goal is to match the tone and speed, allowing for fluidity in your speech. Utilize this shadowing site to track your progress and refine your skills in contextually rich settings.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.