WINNERS OF THE 2018 EUROPEAN PRRS RESEARCH AWARD ANNOUNCED

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Ingelheim, Germany, 26 September 2018 – The winners of the 2018 European PRRS Research Award have been announced at this year’s international swine veterinary assembly by Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health in Lisbon, Portugal.

PRRS (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome) continues to be a highly prevalent disease in European pigs, causing economic losses through its negative effects on reproduction and growth as well as by clinical illness.


Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health sponsors the €75,000 research award program in Europe both to encourage further development of practical methods for controlling PRRS and in order to recognize scientific excellence in this field. Furthermore, it offers a valuable opportunity for interaction and academic exchange among swine researchers and veterinary practitioners.

In 2018, the company has sponsored the annual European PRRS Research Award for the fifth time already. Through this prestigious program, every year Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health honors three winning research proposals selected by an independent expert panel with a funding of €25,000 each.

The winners of this year’s European PRRS Research Award, as selected by the review board chaired by Dr Giampietro Sandri, Italy after careful evaluation, are:

 

  • Active surveillance of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in breeding herds, nurseries and finishers from carcasses (Jordi Baliellas, INTERPORC - Spain
  • Is ORF5 nucleotide sequence analysis sufficient for tracing PRRSV-1 strains (Jos Dortmans, GD Animal Health  - Netherlands)
  • INTERVAC: Interference of swine influenza virus infection with PRRS MLV vaccination in piglets (Olivier Bourry, Anses - France)

 

The European PRRS Research Award board and Boehringer-Ingelheim are saddened by the death of University of Minnesota Professor Michael Murtaugh, who rigorously chaired the board until his untimely death on September 18th 2018. A new Chair for the board will be announced in due course.

Call for submissions for next year’s European PRRS Research Award will open in February 2019. It will include new arrangements to assist veterinary practitioners wanting to submit a research proposal.