Objective of these studies were to assess safety and efficacy of a newly developed PCV2 vaccine based on the PCV2d genotype now predominant in many regions (1).
Trial 1 was performed in a farrow to finish farm owning 500 sows. Twenty-four pregnant sows were allocated according to parity to 3 groups of 11 sows each (groups T and C) and 2 sows (group NV). Sows in group T received the tested vaccine twice around 6 and 3 weeks before expected farrowing (Suigen® PCV2, Virbac, 2 ml for each IM injection). Sows in group C received a booster injection of the PCV2 vaccine they were vaccinated with in previous parities (recombinant vaccine: 2 ml by IM route). Sows in the NV group did not receive any PCV2 vaccine during the study. Piglets issued from each sow received the same PCV2 vaccine (1 ml in group T and 2 ml in group C by IM route) around 6 weeks of age while piglets from NV sows were not vaccinated against PCV2.
PCV2 DNA extracts from lungs and lymph nodes samples (from 2 wasting pigs) were sequenced for PCV2 genotyping.
Trial 2 was performed in a farrow to finish farm owning 300 sows. One hundred twenty piglets were allocated to 2 groups of 60 each. Piglets were vaccinated against PCV2 around 6 weeks of age by the tested vaccine in group T (Suigen® PCV2, Virbac) and by the usual PCV2 vaccine of the farm in group C (subunit vaccine: 1 ml by IM route in both groups). Pigs were individually weighed at birth, weaning and finishing in both trials.
Local and general reactions were checked after vaccination in both trials as well as mortality cases till finishing. Categorical data and quantitative data were compared between groups by Fisher’s exact test and GLM respectively.
Neither local nor general reactions were noticed after injection of the tested and references vaccines in sows and piglets. Wean to finish mortality rate and ADG were not significantly different between vaccinated groups in both trials while both criteria were numerically worse in non vaccinated group (trial 1). Moreover, the rate of finishing pigs weighing less than 80 kg was numerically higher in C group and mean FCR was higher in NV group than in vaccinated ones (trial 1).
PCV2 DNA extract was identified as d genotype in trial 1.
Safety and efficacy of the tested vaccine was confirmed in sows and piglets. PCV2d genotype was isolated for the first time in the Philippines.
