Porcine Circovirus remains in the spotlight of European researchers

From left to right: Prof. Armin Saalmüller, Prof. Hans Nauwynck, Prof. Joaquim Segalés

Ingelheim, Germany, 16 February 2011 – The fourth edition of the European PCV2 Research Award sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim saw a record number of applications showing the continued interest in Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2) research: 13 researchers from ten different countries submitted proposals.

Clinical disease associated with PCV2 infection is not a major issue nowadays as pigs can be protected very effectively by vaccination, and piglet vaccination has become routine use worldwide. Still, PCV2 remains to be a potential threat for global swine production and more research is needed to better understand the immunological aspects, the pathogenesis and epidemiology of this devastating disease, as well as the interaction of PCV2 with other potential pathogens.

It is Boehringer Ingelheim’s intention to continuously support independent applied research in this field. A maximum of three prizes, each 25,000 euros, are granted to European researchers every year. The 2010 awards were recently presented to the award winners by Prof. Maurice Pensaert, former head of the Laboratory of Virology of the Ghent University in Belgium and chairman of the independent review board selecting the awarded projects, and Dr Joachim Hasenmaier, Head of Animal Health at Boehringer Ingelheim. The ceremony took place at the global headquarters of Boehringer Ingelheim in Ingelheim, Germany.