Clinical efficacy of two vaccination strategies against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in a pig herd suffering from respiratory disease

Abstract Background A randomised field trial was conducted on an Austrian farrow-to-finish farm for one year to compare the efficacy of two commercial Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae vaccines. 585 piglets either received the one-shot formulation in group 1 (Hyogen®, 23.9 days of age) or a two-shot vaccine (Stellamune® Mycoplasma, 4.3 and 24.0 days of age) in group 2. Assessment of vaccine efficacy was evaluated by regression analyses through cough monitoring from nursery to slaughter, average daily weight gain from inclusion to slaughter, antibiotic treatment rate (ATR), mortality rate, and lung lesion scoring at slaughter. Results In general, coughing was more frequent during late nursery and finishing. No significant differences were found in the coughing index (0.02 vs 0.03) and mean average daily weight gain (560 vs 550 g) between the two groups. ATR was higher in group 2 (3.8 vs 9.6%). At the slaughterhouse check, significant differences in the prevalence of bronchopneumonia (62.9 vs 71.2%) could be found. Extension of lung lesions was also significantly lower in group 1 in terms of enzootic pneumonia (EP) values (p = 0.000, z = − 4.269). There were no significant differences in the rate of scarred lungs (20.0 vs 24.0%) or those affected by dorsocaudal pleurisy (36.8 vs 34.3%). Conclusions This trial demonstrated that Hyogen® was superior to Stellamune® Mycoplasma in reducing (I) the prevalence of bronchopneumonic lungs and those affected by cranioventral pleurisy, (II) the extension and severity of EP-like lung lesions, and (III) the rate of antibiotically treated animals against respiratory disease

Evaluation of the Efficacy of a Vaccination Program against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Based on Lung-Scoring at Slaughter

Porcine pleuropneumonia is of serious concern regarding lung health in pig production. Besides optimizing hygiene and pig management, specific vaccination against the causative agent, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, is an important tool in the fight against this disease. As porcine pleuropneumonia may present with different clinical courses of disease, it is not always easy to objectively assess herd lung health state or to monitor improvements following specific therapeutic or prophylactic measures. Here, the effects of specific vaccination on lung health in a chronically diseased farrow-to-finish farm in Lower Austria experiencing an acute episode were monitored by means of an app-based electronic tool, enabling the scorers to document lung pathologies real-time at slaughter. At the time, when vaccination measures took effect, percentages of lungs affected by dorsocaudal pleurisy had decreased from 43 to 5 and the APP-index from 1.2 to 0.1, respectively. But not only pleurisies were diminished, also incidences and severities of bronchopneumonic alterations had dramatically decreased and exhibited interesting trends when set in connection to clinical signs. Overall, vaccination measures against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae proved to be very effective in restoring herd lung health

Variability of Norway spruce morphometric characteristics in progeny tests in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The paper presents the results of an analysis of morphometric characteristics of Norway spruce seedlings in the progeny tests in Bosnia and Herzegovina, localities: Drinić and Srebrenica. Progeny tests were established by using seedlings originating from six natural populations from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Seedling height, root collar and whorl distance from the ground, which represents seedling heights in 2011, 2012 and 2013 were measured. The results indicate statistically significant differences between the analyzed characteristics of the observed population. Especially interesting are the populations Potoci and Olovo, which showed the highest growth during the observed period in both progeny tests. The impact of the drought in 2013 can be seen in the progeny test in Srebrenica where height growth in 2013 was lower by more than 50% in comparison to 2012. The impact of drought in the progeny test in Drinić was not observed. The research provides the baseline when selecting the starting population, where the rapid growth of seedlings is set as the main goal

PRODUCTIVITY OF EUROPEAN BEECH COPPICE STANDS IN THE FOREST MANAGEMENT AREA “DONJEVRBASKO”, BOSNIAHERZEGOVINA

The object of this study were three coppice beech stands located in the forest management area“Donjevrbasko” close to Banja Luka in the Republic of Srpska, north-western part of Bosnia andHerzegovina. These coppice stands grow in different conditions. According to available eco-vegetationmaps, first beech coppice stand develops in favorable site conditions with high wood productionpotential for beech. Thereby, we chose such stand which on the first look had fairly goodquality of stools. The second coppice stand also grows in good site conditions where high productionpotential can be expected for beech, but in this case we selected for measurement such standwhich has poor technical quality of trees and poor health state. On the contrary, the third coppicestand grows in very poor site conditions where low production potential can be expected forbeech. The major goal of the study was to examine the effects of lengthening the rotation periodson wood production, quality and health status of trees in studied coppices

Variability in germination and germination dynamics of differently treated seeds of Serbian spruce (Picea omorika Pančić/Purkynĕ)

Genetic-physiological approach was used in the study of the quality of Serbian spruce seed (Picea omorika /Pančić/Purkynĕ), collected in the populations on the left bank of the river Drina. The seed originated from the three populations that represent the overall ecological and productive conditions of Serbian spruce populations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Two natural populations were selected: Veliki Stolac and Gostilj, and one planted forest population in Srebrenica. The cones were collected in late autumn 2009 and early spring 2010. They were collected from five trees from Srebrenica and Gostilj, and seven trees from Veliki Stolac. Immediately after they were collected, the cones and seeds were processed and germination tests were done. Germination, germination viability and germination dynamics were studied in three categories of seed treatment: 1) control unit (just processed seed), 2) seed stored for six months at 0-4 ºC, 3) seed stored for seven months at 0-4º C and treated with fungicide after five months of storing. The number of germinated seed was observed and noted on the third, fourth, fifth, seventh, tenth, fourteenth, twenty-first and twenty-eighth day. There were significant differences in germination dynamics at the population level and the level of treatment during the first couple of days of germination test. Fungicide (captan) acted as an inhibitor on seed germination process. The seeds originating from the largest population of Veliki Stolac showed the best response to storing treatment with fungicide related to germination dynamics. The seed originating from Srebrenica andkept at low temperatures 0-4 °C without treatment with fungicides showed the best result in germination. Regardless of the presence of differences in the dynamics of germination, significant differences in germination regarding different treatments on the last day of the test, were not recorded

Cross‐sectional study on the in‐herd prevalence of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae at different stages of pig production

Background A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the prevalence of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infections before vaccination in 3-week-old piglets and to gain information about infection dynamics. Methods In 13 German and three Austrian farms with a known history of enzootic pneumonia, 790 piglets and 158 sows were sampled (blood samples, tracheobronchial swabs [TBS] [piglets], laryngeal swabs [LS] [sows]), and 525 pen-based oral fluids (OFs) were collected in growing and fattening pigs. Laboratory diagnostics included enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses. Results Antibodies to M. hyopneumoniae were present in 87.5 per cent of all herds. Seroprevalence ranged from 0.0 to 100.0 per cent and 0.0 to 88.0 per cent in sows and piglets, respectively. M. hyopneumoniae-deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was present in 3.8 and 0.4 per cent of LS and TBS, respectively. Gilts had a 10.9 times higher chance being M. hyopneumoniae PCR-positive than older sows. In 75.0 per cent of all farms, M. hyopneumoniae-DNA was present in OFs. Detection rate was significantly higher in OFs of 20-week-old than in younger pigs (p < 0.001). Conclusion Results indicate that M. hyopneumoniae infections of the lower respiratory tract in piglets are rare but highlight the role of gilts in maintaining infection in the herd. Collecting OFs seems promising for surveillance, if coughing occurs simultaneously

Cross-Sectional Study on the Prevalence of PCV Types 2 and 3 DNA in Suckling Piglets Compared to Grow-Finish Pigs in Downstream Production

Vertical transmission is a consistently discussed pathway of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) transmission in pigs. To evaluate the presence of PCV2 and PCV3 in piglets, we collected tissue samples from 185 piglets that were crushed within the first week of life from 16 farms located in Germany and Austria. Pooled samples consisting of thymus, inguinal lymph node, myocardium, lung and spleen were examined for PCV2 and PCV3 by qPCR. Furthermore, oral fluid samples (OFS) from grow–finish pigs were collected and examined the same way. In piglets, PCV2 was highly prevalent (litters: 69.4%; piglets: 61.6%), whereas PCV3 prevalence was low (litters: 13.4%; piglets: 13.0%). In total, 72.6% and 67.2% of all collected OFS were PCV2 or PCV3 positive, respectively. Sow vaccination against PCV2 was identified as a protective factor concerning PCV2 in piglets (OR: 0.279; CI: 0.134–0.578; p < 0.001), whereas the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) vaccination of sows was identified as a protective factor concerning PCV3 in piglets (OR: 0.252 CI: 0.104–0.610; p = 0.002). Our results show that PCV2, but not PCV3, is ubiquitous in suckling piglets and that early PCV3 infections might be modulated by PRRSV–PCV3 interaction. However, the ubiquitous nature of both viruses in older pigs could be confirmed