Hsien-Jen Chiu

Main Responsibilities:

• Swine Disease Diagnosis: Conduct preliminary diagnoses of disease types through the dissection of deceased pigs and examination of gross lesions in organs. Collect samples from affected organs and send them to animal disease diagnostic centers for further analysis.
• Observation and Treatment of Clinical Symptoms in Sick Pigs: Monitor pigs for clinical disease symptoms, including weight loss, coughing, diarrhea, and neurological issues. Administer appropriate medication or treatment based on the specific symptoms and incidence rates, and isolate affected pigs to prevent the spread of disease.
• Promotion of Disease Awareness Among Farm Employees: Engage in discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions with employees regarding common swine diseases and treatment methods, based on daily observations of anatomy and clinical symptoms, to enhance awareness of disease prevention.

Secondary Responsibilities:

• Support Daily Operations: Assist with routine operational tasks on the pig farm during periods of downtime after completing primary responsibilities. This includes weaning piglets in the farrowing room, relocating pigs to different pens, breeding sows, performing ultrasound examinations on pregnant sows, and administering routine vaccinations.
  

Main Responsibilities:

• Pig Pathological Anatomy: Perform pathological autopsies on pigs sent from the farm to the diagnostic center to evaluate the causes of disease or death, as well as assess the potential epidemic situation on the farm. Preliminary results will be reported to the sending party on the day of the autopsy, and we will discuss prioritized actions.
• Microbiological Examination: Isolate bacteria from organs suspected to be infected. Utilize various types of microbial culture media to isolate the dominant bacterial flora, followed by biochemical identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
• Molecular Biology Examination: Depending on the type of specimens received at the diagnostic center, perform serum centrifugation, organ tissue grinding, nucleic acid extraction, and other necessary procedures. Detect antibody concentrations or pathogenic loads using techniques such as ELISA, PCR, and Real-time PCR.
• Pig Farm Visits for Sampling and Epidemic Assessment: In the event of a disease outbreak on a pig farm, conduct farm patrols to observe the health status of the pigs and the feeding environment. Perform on-site dissections of deceased pigs or collect blood samples for testing at the diagnostic center. After obtaining test results, report findings to the farm owner to discuss the epidemic situation and potential preventive measures.
• Animal Experiment Operations: Collaborate with government agencies, manufacturers, or laboratories to conduct animal experiments on experimental pigs. Testing may occur in NPUST experimental animal rooms or field pig farms, and types of experiments include virus and bacterial challenge tests, vaccine safety and efficacy assessments, and feed additive evaluations.

Secondary Responsibilities:

• Assist in Organizing Seminars: Support the organization of seminars, which includes contacting guests, arranging venue layout, providing registration instructions, event photography, venue management, and lighting control.