Farmscape for March 4, 2025

Research conducted by Iowa State University shows the use of tongue tip fluids for the diagnosis of PRRS and Influenza A to be an accurate cost-effective alternative to the use of oral fluids.
A Swine Health Information Center funded study conducted by Iowa State University looked at the value of tongue tip fluids, a sample type more frequently used in breeding herds, as a potential tool for pathogen surveillance in nursery and grow-finish phases.
SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton says the goal is to identify surveillance methods that can be both cost effective and labor effective

Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center:
This study shows that tongue tip fluids does offer a relatively ease of collection sample as well as cost effective alternative to oral fluids.
Oral fluids require hanging ropes and then collecting that fluid and tongue tips does require collection from pigs that have passed away, or post mortem sampling.
But, when looked at as a whole, it is something that producers could use if they have mortalities on a farm.
Or, if they don't, they can use oral fluids to help maintain a surveillance picture across the health of their farms and still be able to identify if there is a health challenge present.
With all of the comparison between oral fluids and tongue tip fluids for both influenza and PRRS as well as the sequencing, it was noted that there was fair agreement between the different sample types and the ability to detect diseases as well as the ability to be able to sequence the different viruses between the two sample types of oral fluids and tongue tip fluids.
It was noted that pooling samples can reduce the probability of detection because of the dilution effect but it does show the effectiveness and the ability to be able to use either tongue tip fluids or oral fluids as a diagnostic sample.

Dr. Becton says the study shows tongue tip fluids offer a cost-effective alternative to oral fluids for the detection of PRRS and Influenza A in growing pig herds when mortalities are available.
For more visit swinehealth.org or Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

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