Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is a viral disease infecting sows and pigs leading to reproductive failure (abortions, weak and stillborn piglets, infertility), and causes pneumonia and increased mortality in young animals. It is a global problem, affecting the swine industry worldwide, and is highly economically significant: in the US alone, the total cost to the industry has been estimated at $664 million per year.
Since its discovery, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) has been spreading worldwide, and nowadays the disease is considered endemic in most of the pig producing countries. There have been various estimations of the cost of the disease especially during the acute outbreaks but the chronic impact of PRRS infection in breeding herds is not as well understood.
Considering the full clinical range of the disease some studies have also used data from the nursery and fattening for their cost estimations; between April 2010 and March 2012 the production data and PRRS status were collected from 205 Canadian production sites and the productivity losses due to PRRS were (49.96€) per sow place, (6.16€) per piglet place in nurseries and (21.21€) per pig place in grow-finish units.
Using productivity levels in herds that successfully eliminated PRRSV a study based on the Swedish case was published; when PRRS reappeared in 2007, the herds were stamped out but the losses in the affected farms were already 90€ per sow, additionally, the study estimated that PRRSV infection resulted in losses of 20 € per pig produced.
In 2005 an economic analysis of the impact of PRRSV in the US estimated the annual losses for the whole industry at $561 million; 52% ($292.23 million) were losses in growing pigs; 36% ($201.34 million) corresponded to losses during the nursery phase, and 12% ($66.75 million) were attributed to the reproductive losses.
When considering the total pig inventory, the cost per year was $93.18 (69.65€) for every sow in the US breeding-female stock. For every marketed pig in the United States, PRRSV cost $5.60/pig (4.18€).
More recently, in 2013 these calculations were updated according to the current clinical effects, pig inventory, production systems and performance. The total annual losses due to PRRSV in the US were estimated at $664 million. Losses in the breeding herd account for 45% ($302.06 million) and in the growing fattening phase are 55% ($361.85 million) of the total. The annual cost is $114.71 (85.74€) for every sow in the US breeding inventory and for every marketed pig PRRSV costs $4.67 (3.50€).
