Porcine Circoviral Disease – from inception to successful control

Porcine Circovirus Diseases (PCVD) and Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease (PCVAD) are synonymous names for a disease syndrome caused by porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and originally described in the mid-1990’s as Postweaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome (PMWS). 2 While the acronyms PCVD and PMWS have been widely used over the last decade, the American Association of Swine Veterinarians in 2006 endorsed “PCVAD”. Their desire to avoid using “PMWS” was due to the potentially negative connotations the word “wasting” may have on consumer purchasing habits, and because PCV2-affected pigs do not always demonstrate weight loss.