Preclinical and clinical trials of a new Ukrainian inactivated vaccine against actinobacillary pleuropneumonia in pigs

Abstract

Respiratory diseases are a problem for the pig industry in all countries engaged in pig breeding and industrial pork production. Actinobacillary pleuropneumonia of pigs is one of the most common bacterial respiratory diseases of pigs, which is recorded in almost all countries of the world. The losses from the disease include high morbidity (up to 20–30%), mortality (up to 100%), and a decrease in body weight, and hence productivity. Preclinical and clinical trials of the inactivated vaccine against actinobacillary pleuropneumonia of pigs «Actinopleurotoxal» were conducted at the laboratories of the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, as well as in a pig farm. Immunogenicity studies were conducted following the approved scientific documentation for the production and control of the drug. Laboratory studies of the vaccine’s immunogenicity confirmed sufficient immune protection of animals against the infectious agent, which amounted to 80–100%. The results of the production trials proved the effectiveness of the developed immunobiological product. For the experiment, 4 groups of experimental vaccinated animals were formed, consisting of 2 299 heads, and 4 control groups of unvaccinated animals, consisting of 2 316 heads. Vaccination was performed on piglets in growing, at the age of 40–45 days, revaccinated after 21 days at the age of 61–66 days. In the experimental groups of piglets after two-time vaccination, almost twice as many piglets were preserved, the percentage of transfer of heads for fattening increased by 2.3% (by 68 heads), and the average daily weight gain was higher in the experimental groups.

Keywords

• respiratory diseases
• vaccination effectiveness
• piglets
• strains
• immunogenicity