Glossary

AASV:

American Association of Swine Veterinarians

Back-yard pigs:

pigs raised by private households

Bench entry:

a physical barrier at an entry to a farm

Boar:

uncastrated male pig, six months or older

Breeding herd:

breeding-age animals

Cadaver:

the body of a dead pig

Comingling:

the mixing of animals

Continuous flow:

a farm that is never emptied (rather than all-in, all-out)

Cross-foster:

fostering piglets between litters

Cull:

removing sows from the breeding unit

Dam:

mother (pig)

Downtime:

a period of time before visiting your farm during which the person does not visit any other farms

Dry sow:

sow who is not producing milk

ELISA:

enzyme-linked immunosuppresent assay – a common way to detect infection using a blood test

Farrow:

birthing a litter of pigs

Feeder:

a piglet weighing 40-80lbs/18-35kg that is sold to be finished

Finish/finishing:

the phase between a pig having 18 – 35 Kg, and it being ready for market

Fomite:

a contaminated object that can spread disease

Gilt:

female pig of breeding age who has not yet been bred

IAV:

Influenza A virus

In-pig:

pregnant

Lactating (sow):

sow who is producing milk

MLV:

modified live vaccine (the most widely used vaccine against PRRSv)

Multiplying (herd):

a herd that is mainly used to produce gilts for the commercial herd

Naïve:

testing negative for PRRSv, or having never been exposed to the virus

Nurse sow:

a lactating sow feeding piglets from another sow’s litter

OR (odds ratio):

odds provide a measure of the likelihood of a particular outcome. They are calculated as the ratio of the number of events that produce that outcome to the number that do not. An odds ratio (OR) is a measure of association between an exposure and an outcome. The OR represents the odds that an outcome will occur given a particular exposure, compared to the odds of the outcome occurring in the absence of that exposure³²

Pathogen:

an organism that causes disease

PCR:

polymerase chain reaction (test) - a type of test to determine whether a virus is present

PRRSv:

porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

Rendering (truck):

a vehicle used in cadaver removal (for rendering)

Replacement (gilt):

replacements for sows who have died or finished their reproductive life

(internal or external) Reposition:

See replacement

Seroconversion:

the appearance of antibodies produced in response to infection; or going from a negative to a positive result on an antibody test

Seropositive:

the presence of antibodies, or a positive result in an antibody test

SPF:

specific pathogen free

Stable:

no evidence of PRRSv circulating within a herd or group of pigs

Teaser (boar):

boars used to spread pheromones near gilts and sows, helping to determine if they are in heat

Viremic:

the presence of viruses in the blood

Wean:

to transition an animal from milk to adult food

Weaner-lairage:

is a covered, walled and straw-bedded shelter where newly weaned piglets are kept before they are collected by the lorries the following day. This temporary weaner accommodation has feeder and drinkers and is ideally expected to hold the stock overnight, located away from the farrowing or breeding paddocks, close to the farm gate which is highly accessible to the transport system