A field evaluation of a new porcine circovirus type 2d and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae bivalent vaccine in herds suffering from subclinical PCV2d infection and enzootic pneumonia

Abstract

Abstract Background This field efficacy study was designed to determine the efficacy of a new bivalent vaccine containing porcine circovirus type 2d (PCV2d) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae at three independent pig farms. Methods Three pig farms were selected based on their history of subclinical PCV2 infection and enzootic pneumonia. Each farm housed a total of 40, 18‐day‐old pigs that were randomly allocated to 1 of 2 treatment groups. Pigs were administered a 2.0 mL dose of the bivalent vaccine intramuscularly at 21 days of age in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations, whereas unvaccinated pigs were administered a single dose of phosphate‐buffered saline at the same age. Results Clinically, the average daily weight gain of vaccinated groups was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those of unvaccinated animals during the growing (70–112 days of age), finishing (112–175 days of age) and overall (3–175 days of age) stages of production. Vaccinated animals elicited neutralizing anti‐PCV2 antibodies and PCV2d‐specific interferon‐γ secreting cells (IFN‐γ‐SC), which reduced the amount of PCV2d genomic copies in blood and reduced lymphoid lesions severity when compared with unvaccinated animals. Similarly, vaccinated animals elicited M. hyopneumoniae‐specific IFN‐γ‐SC, which reduced the amount of M. hyopneumoniae in the larynx and reduced lung lesions severity. Conclusions The result of the field trial demonstrated that the bivalent vaccine was efficacious in the protection of swine herds suffering from subclinical PCV2d infection and enzootic pneumonia.

Keywords

• enzootic pneumonia
• Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae
• porcine circovirus type 2d
• porcine circovirus‐associated diseases
• vaccine