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Investigation of strategies for the introduction and transportation of replacement gilts on southern Ontario sow farmsKeywords: Swine, Biosecurity, Gilt replacement strategies, Multiple correspondence analysis Abstract: For both subsets of variables, the results of the MCA procedure were similar; in both solutions the 1st dimension separated herds that were closed with respect to replacement animals from herds that were open, and the 2nd dimension described how open herds managed replacements. The most interesting finding of this study was that, in some cases where a risky practice was being implemented, it was closely associated with other biosecurity practices that may mitigate that risk.The findings from this approach suggest that one cannot always examine biosecurity on a variable-by-variable basis. Even if a practice that is generally considered high-risk is being implemented, it may be balanced by other practices that mitigate that risk. Thus, the overall biosecurity strategy on a farm must be considered instead of only examining the implementation of individual practices.Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus is of major concern to the swine industry worldwide. Clinical signs associated with infection include inappetance, lethargy, depression, pyrexia, respiratory distress, premature farrowing, and increases in stillborn or poor-doing piglets and in pre-weaning mortality [1]. Direct contact between an infected, pathogen-shedding pig and one that is susceptible to infection is the most important route of transmission for most infectious diseases of swine, including the PRRS virus (PRRSV) [2-4]. Given the importance of this virus to the swine industry and its potential impact on the welfare and productivity of pigs, gilt replacement strategies are essential for the prevention and control of PRRS [5]. Such strategies pertain to the source from which replacements are obtained, how replacement gilts are managed upon arrival to the farm, and the protocols used for their transportation. Isolation and acclimation facilities are particularly important because they allow for separation between replacement animals of unknown disease status and the main herd. One rec
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