Optimizing Mhyo Vaccination: Strategies for Minimizing Economic Damage and Maximizing Protection

2024-03-26 20:40:49

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae falls worldwide into the category of pathogens that are difficult to tackle and cause a lot of economic damage. The economic damage is caused by poorer production results, higher medicine costs and less uniformity. The effect of Mhyo vaccination is greatest if you carefully tailor the vaccination strategy to the situation of the company.

A lot of research is still being done into this germ because vaccination without additional measures does not appear to be sufficient to limit the damage. The most important findings from scientific research are:

• Mhyo infections reduce local defenses, allowing other pathogens to cause lung damage.
• Biosecurity measures, such as strict all-in, all-out working and the use of cleaning and disinfection, are important to keep the infection pressure low.
• Vaccination only has added value if the vaccine is used at the right time.
• Young sows are a source of infection for piglets.

Young sows are often the source of a mycoplasma infection in a flock of piglets

Transmission of infection from Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae takes place via nose-nose contact and over a short distance through the air. In practice, we find that young sows are usually the main source of infection for piglets. The origin of a Mhyo infection in a flock of piglets therefore already lies in the farrowing pen, where the germ is transferred from sow to piglet and then from piglet to piglet. The more litters become infected in the farrowing pen, the earlier and faster the infection will spread in the weaned piglets.

To minimize the role of the sow as a source of infection, creating a stable sow herd is essential. A stable sow herd means that there are no active Mhyo infections and the sows therefore do not excrete the germ. The excretion of Mhyo from an infected pig can take up to more than 200 days. Gilts are often free of Mhyo when they arrive at the sow farm. If they then become infected with Mhyo in group housing, they can excrete the bacteria for a long time and thus spread the infection to other sows with a low immune status and also to the piglets in the farrowing pen. That creates an unstable situation.

What can be expected from Mhyo vaccination?

Vaccines are not panaceas, but part of the package of measures needed to limit the damage caused by this infectious disease. Vaccination cannot prevent Mhyo infection, but it does result in fewer clinical symptoms, less severe lung damage and therefore less production losses. Vaccination also plays a role in reducing the infection pressure on a company

Mhyo vaccination is now a basic vaccination for piglets. At propagation companies, the demand usually comes from the buyer. Mhyo vaccination is part of the standard vaccination schedule at closed farms. Under practical conditions, a few piglets are almost always infected. With a low infection pressure, a good stable climate, normal occupancy, etc., clinical complaints and production losses will be minor. The less mixing and the smaller the number of animals per cage, the slower the spread of the Mhyo infection.

How can we optimize the Mhyo vaccination?

To choose an appropriate vaccination strategy on a farm, it is important to know when the Mhyo infection occurs, how high the infection pressure is, where the infection comes from and to what extent young piglets are protected against the infection. We can answer some of these questions through blood tests. The amount of antibodies in gilts, sows, piglets and fattening pigs of different ages tells us which animal groups have built up immunity, how much maternal immunity the piglets absorb and the approximate time of infection.

The first aspect to take into account is the expected time of infection. It is preferable to vaccinate at least four weeks before infection so that piglets have sufficient time to build up immunity. The other aspect is that you want to vaccinate as late as possible to experience as little inconvenience as possible from maternal interference. This means that maternal Mhyo antibodies that piglets absorb through the colostrum can reduce the effectiveness of a Mhyo vaccine. The amount of maternal antibodies in the piglet’s blood decreases with age. When vaccinated at four weeks of age, any maternal interference is therefore much less likely than when vaccinated at two weeks of age.

Although a single piglet is already infected in the farrowing pen, it appears that most piglets are only infected with Mhyo at the end of the battery period and in the fattening pigsty. In those cases, the timing of piglet vaccination can mainly depend on the level of maternal immunity. If gilts and sows pass on many antibodies through their colostrum (including due to the effect of sow vaccination), piglets are better off being vaccinated at a slightly later age, for example around four to five weeks of age.

Intradermal vaccination

There are vaccines that can be administered intradermally without a needle and cause little or no vaccination reaction. The vaccine is administered into the skin with an injection device. Because there is no needle involved, pigs experience less stress and pain and there is a lower risk of spreading germs. In addition, the skin contains many immune cells, which means that the vaccine is immediately absorbed, leading to a fast and good immune response.

Curious about the effect of vaccination on your company or the status of your sow herd: contact one of our specialists; Josine Beek [phone] or Eric van Esch [phone]