[Aujeszky's disease in swine in The Netherlands, A.D. 1991]

Aujeszky's disease is caused by a herpesvirus. The pig is the natural host and sole source of dissemination of the virus. After a primary infection, during which the pig excretes virus for 10-14 days, the virus remains latent in the host. Eradication has been achieved in individual herds, areas and countries with a low prevalence. The crucial question is whether it is feasible to eradicate the virus in heavily infected areas. Using so-called marker vaccines in conjunction with companion diagnostic test kits the virus was eliminated in individual herds. The preliminary results of extensive field studies to investigate whether intensive vaccination curtails the circulation of virus are encouraging.