The "colorful" epidemiology of PRRS

Abstract

The paper describes the specifics of the epidemiology of the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), that is its "behavior" as a communicable disease in porcine populations, and compares them to the general epidemiological characteristics of communicable diseases. This analysis shows that infection with the PRRS virus "behaves" epidemiologically both as an epidemic and as an endemic disease: on the one hand it can spread like an epidemic in naïve populations, and on the other it seems to linger on infinitely in an affected population with its clinical expression varying from farm to farm like an endemic disease. The paper tries to draw "epidemiological" conclusions on the general methods for controlling and/or eradicating the disease, and to identify areas of further research.