Convenience and economic benefit of early one-shot Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae vaccination at 3 days of age in a commercial sow farm

Abstract

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae) is the primary pathogen of enzootic pneumonia, a chronic respiratory disease in pigs. Vaccination of piglets to protect against M. hyopneumoniae can be performed at several ages, depending on product label specifi cations. Early intervention in the fi rst week of life may have advantages, since piglets can already become infected with M. hyopneumoniae during the suckling period, resulting in a signifi cant percentage of M. hyopneumoniaepositive piglets around weaning. The current study compared convenience and economic benefi ts of M. hyopneumoniae vaccination in piglets of 3, 7 and 14 days of age. Duration of piglet vaccination at 3 days of age was signifi cantly (P < 0.05) shorter (2.64 ± 0.08 seconds) as compared to 7 days of age (4.90 ± 0.18 seconds) and 14 days of age (6.04 ± 0.22 seconds). Economic calculation in a 1000-sow unit, using a vaccination convenience calculator, demonstrated that although the total number of piglets vaccinated is lower (-443 and -838 at 7 and 14 days of age, respectively) at a later vaccination age, the related increase in vaccine cost in the early vaccination group (Group 1) was largely compensated by the decrease in cost of overall vaccination time (€ 1,115.61 and € 1,461.00 lower at 3 days of age as compared to 7 and 14 days of age, respectively). In conclusion, M. hyopneumoniae vaccination at 3 days of age has several advantages over later vaccination at 7 or 14 days of age. Besides the benefi ts in convenience of piglet handling at that age, we could also demonstrate economic benefi ts of early M. hyopneumoniae vaccination.

Mycoplasmosis: A Zoonotic Threat - Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and Economic Impact

“…Their findings revealed that a three-dose regimen of commercial bacterin vaccination vitally abolished lung lesions at 28 days post-infection in tested gilts, along with an overall decrease in bacterial load in vaccinated gilts. In another study focusing on the practicality and monetary advantages of immunizing piglets against the bacteria at different ages, it was established that immunization at three days of age conferred a substantial advantage over-vaccination at 7 or 14 days of age (Vangroenweghe, 2021).…”