Does the infection with endoparasites influence the effect of oral vaccination against classical swine fever in wild boar?

Abstract

Classical swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease that affects domestic and wild suids and could cause important economic losses. It is the most dangerous infectious disease of the wild boar that can cause severe death in densely populated areas. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of endoparasites on the oral vaccination against classical swine fever in wild boar. The study compared classical swine fever antibody titres in wild boar treated and untreated with antiparasitics. Fourteen six-month-old wild boar piglets were tested via direct ELISA to detect specific antibodies in blood serum after vaccination. Before the vaccination, one group of piglets was administered antiparasitic therapy; the other group of animals remained untreated. Twenty-eight days post vaccination, piglets from the first group (free of parasites) showed significantly (P = 0.0015) higher concentrations of specific antibodies than the infected animals. Obtained results proved that parasitic infections substantially influence the efficacy of oral vaccination against classical swine fever and may support the ability of the virus to produce infectious diseases and its transmission in the wild boar population. For that reason, antiparasitic therapy of wild boar populations before their vaccination is highly recommended in order to increase the vaccine's efficacy.