Originally from: Mike
                        
A New Name for PMWS

PMWS (post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome) is now increasingly becoming known as PCVD (porcine circovirus disease), reflecting our awareness of the main causal agent, porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2).

Update on PMWS Epidemics:

As Pat Gardiner has noted, PMWS is still causing concern in New Zealand, although strict biosecurity precautions seem to have limited the spread. The South Island outbreak started on five breeding farms in the Christchurch area, but was spread, allegedly through weaner pigs sold to other farms, around the South Island before the disease was identified. There are around 14 South island farms believed to be currently suffering PMWS, plus several farms in the North island, where many farms have been driven out of business by PCVD since 2003.

In Europe, the acute effects of PMWS have largely died down and most PCVD in swine is now manifested as the chronic effects i.e. mortality no more than 10%. This is probably largely due to widespread implementation of Professor Madec's "20-Point PMWS Control Scheme". The Madec "back to basics" plan reduces stress, pig-to-pig contact and virus challenge (via improved hygiene).

A recent article on PCVD by the President of the UK Pig Veterinary Society, David Burch, includes a dramatic graph showing how PMWS mortality is now occurring later – in the early finishing stages as opposed to the weaner/grower stage mortality that we used to see. His article on PMWS is online here:
www.octagon-services.co.uk/articles/PMWSvaccine.htm

The biggest problems with PMWS are currently being experienced in the USA and Canada. The latest reports can be accessed at: www.pighealth.com/circovirus.htm In North America they are seeing the acute high mortality (30–40%) form of PCVD in young growing pigs – as was experienced in Europe and Asia in the late 1990s.

PMWS Vaccination:

A PCV2 vaccine for use in sows has been provisionally licensed in Canada, France and Germany. The results have been reviewed by David Burch in his article which appeared in this month's "Pig International" and is now available online at: www.octagon-services.co.uk/articles/PMWSvaccine.htm