Research RFP: Disease Management, Control and Prevention Grant

The National Pork Board invites proposals for research on disease management, control, and prevention, focusing on endemic pathogens impacting pork production. Key priorities include evaluating immunology, vaccine efficacy, and management strategies for various viruses and bacterial pathogens. Proposals must address specific knowledge gaps and demonstrate robust study design and budgeting, with a total funding of $500,000 available for successful submissions. This initiative aims to enhance the health and sustainability of the U.S. pork industry.

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We are agile and accountable to clearly define current priorities, and we prepare and lead the industry into an ever-changing future.
Empowered by the Pork Act and Order, we achieve our strategic objectives through promotion, research and education.
This RFP focuses on knowledge gaps related to prevention, control and management of endemic pathogens.
PEDVEvaluate the immunology of PEDV; specifically determine the duration of antibody presence in serum and oral fluids after disease outbreak or exposure.PCV2Evaluate vaccine protocols and their impact on antibody response to PCV2 and disease control.Determine the factors that lead to clinically diseased animals such as co-infections, replacement gilts, sow instability, and impact of intentional exposure programs on herd instability.PRRSV L1CEvaluate protocols for prevention, control and management of PRRS L1C.Determine best practices to reduce time to negative pigs.RotavirusDevelop strategies to control Rotavirus in farms and reduce impact to production.Evaluate the efficacy of feedback protocols and vaccine use in control of Rotavirus and determine optimal evidence-based approaches.Perform a literature review focused on prevention, control and management of Rotavirus.Senecavirus A (SVA)Determine transmission, prevalence and risk factors such as reservoirs (rodents) for SVA.Epithelial-tropic respiratory virusesManagement strategies for epithelial-tropic respiratory viruses, (eg IAV, PPIV, Astrovirus, etc) in sow herds with specific attention to vertical transmission.Bacterial pathogensPrevention, control, management of E Coli F18, Streptococcus suis, GPS, A suis, MHR, APP, MHS.Identify risk factors for these pathogens.Identify effective mitigation strategies.Investigate herd elimination potential for these pathogens.Disease management and support Develop supportive care options such as anti-inflammatories and anti-pyretics, etc. for viral infections such as PRRSV. Special attention should be given to practices that would allow for group treatments.
Criteria for Approval
This RFP focuses on pathogen specific priorities for disease management, control and prevention. Respondents may submit proposals focused on one pathogen priority or multiple if the study design effectively addresses more than one. Respondents must identify which pathogen they are addressing in their proposal.
Proposals must directly address the research priority and subsequent objective and knowledge gaps identified above. Respondents must submit proposals that are well written with a defined budget and robust study design that clearly addresses the research priorities.
Funding
There is $500,000 available for this RFP. Budgets for submitted proposals should not exceed this amount.