New research led by the University of Minnesota and supported by the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) confirms that samples taken from the tip of a pig’s tongue work to identify diseases such as Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Sydrome (PRRS).
But the sampling needs to follow protocols.
The researchers found that pooling samples offers broader herd surveillance at a lower cost but with slightly reduced sensitivity.
They said samples should immediately be frozen and that’s better than refrigeration.
And they found that the time gap to cooling or freezing is critical to maintaining diagnostic accuracy.
