Comparison of vaccination schemes against PCV2 under field conditions

What is it about?

To minimize the impact of Porcine Circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection on swine health and production different vaccination schemes are used since 2006. However, the association between vaccination schemes, virus load and disease under field conditions is not completely understood. We designed a longitudinal study and measured the IgG levels by ELISA and virus load by quantitative PCR in pigs after weaning in two endemically infected farms. We found that low virus loads were maintained in pigs from both farms regardless of the vaccination scheme used. However, there was significant difference in the mean IgG levels observed over time suggesting that different humoral immune response are not necessarily associated with different virus loads observed over time.

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Why is it important?

Vaccination is a key intervention to control the impact of PCV2 on swine health and production. Our finding illustrated that different vaccination schemes against PCV2 can maintain viral load low in endemically infected populations regardless of the different humoral immune profiles observed over time. These results are important because they can help to prevent PCV2 infections and minimize the effect of PCVAD on swine health and production.

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