Optimising pig herd health and production

• Summarises the wealth of research on optimising pig herd health for increased protection against major diseases, including ASF and PRRS
• Reviews recent advances in understanding gut function and immunity in pigs, including the development of nutritional strategies to boost immune function and resistance to disease
• Explores key challenges facing pig production, including breeding disease resistant pigs with a narrowing genetic base and the development of fungicide resistance

Part 1 Understanding and identifying disease
1.Advances in understanding mechanisms of porcine viral disease transmission/epidemiology: Joaquim Segalés, Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA) - Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA) and OIE Collaborating Centre for the Research and Control of Emerging and Re-Emerging Pig Diseases in Europe (CReSA-IRTA), Spain;
2.Understanding and identifying bacterial disease in swine: Dominiek Maes, Filip Boyen and Freddy Haesebrouck, Ghent University, Belgium;
3.Improving disease surveillance and monitoring systems in pig herds: Alejandro Ramirez, University of Arizona, USA;
4.Surveillance on swine farms using antemortem specimens: Berenice Munguía-Ramírez, Betsy Armenta-Leyva, Luis Giménez-Lirola, Chong Wang and Jeffrey Zimmerman, Iowa State University, USA;

Part 2 Understanding immunity and disease resistance
5.Advances in understanding the development of immune function in pigs: Lorenzo Fraile, University of Lleida, Spain;
6.Advances in understanding gut function and immunity in pigs: Bert Devriendt, Ghent University, Belgium;
7.Nutritional strategies to boost immune function in pigs: Glen W. Almond, North Carolina State University, USA; and Sara D. Hough, DSM Nutritional Products, USA;
8.Host–pathogen interactions and genetic tools for resistance to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus: Raymond (Bob) Rowland, University of Illinois, USA;

Part 3 Disease prevention
9.On-farm strategies for preventing pig diseases: improving biosecurity: Jeroen Dewulf and Dominiek Maes, Ghent University, Belgium;
10.Managing feed to optimize pig health: Sam Millet, Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Belgium; and Nadia Everaert, TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Liège University, Belgium;
11.Managing housing and stocking density to optimize health, welfare and production in pig herds: Isabel Hennig-Pauka and Alexandra von Altrock, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany;
12.Advances in the development and use of vaccines for prevention of endemic diseases in pigs: Enric Mateu, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain; Ivan Díaz, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA, IRTA-UAB) and OIE Collaborating Centre for the Research and Control of Emerging and Re-Emerging Swine Diseases in Europe (IRTA-CReSA), Spain; and Gerard Martín-Valls, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain;
13.Advances in developing vaccines for emerging diseases in pigs: Francisco Javier Martinez Lobo, University of Lleida, Spain;

Part 4 Optimising health through the life cycle
14.Optimizing the health of gilts and sows during pregnancy and parturition: S. Björkman, C. Oliviero and O. A. T. Peltoniemi, University of Helsinki, Finland;
15.Optimising the health of weaned piglets: Andrea Luppi, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Italy;
16.Optimising the health of finisher pigs: Edgar Garcia Manzanilla, Pig Development Department, Teagasc, The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Ireland;