How to manage PCV2 in gilts?

Dr Jean-Bernard HERIN, Avian and Swine technical and marketing manager Dr Guillaume PERREUL, Swine technical manager

Agenda

• PCV2 and purchased gilts: what is their status versus PCV2 infection?

• PCV2 and gilt acclimatization: benefit of PCV2 vaccination:– purchased gilts – self replacement gilts

• Circovac and results at first farrowing

Material and methods

• 30 nucleus farms• Supplying 4 French pig companies

(representing 25% of French pigs)• No PCV2 vaccination on gilts• 5 gilts/farm sampled on testing • Lab analysis performed: ELISA PCV2

(Synbiotics test)

ELISA PCV2 SYNBIOTICS and interpretation

• Reproductibility:– 30% of variation is considered as normal for this technic

• Seroconversion:– Paired sera– PCV2 titre should double

• Objective: to assess antibodies level homogeneity (like PPV)

Forum d’Athènes

ELISA PCV2 SYNBIOTICS: What kind of applications?

• Gilts PCV2 antibodies status• Quality of vaccination:

– sows– piglets: colotrum intake assessment only

• PCV2 infection– Seroconversion

• Fetal exposure to PCV2:– reproductive failures – thoracical and abdominal fluid

Forum d’Athènes

Results: company A

Farm A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6

PCV2 ELISA titre

2077 240 11144 1624 4673 3163

SD (%) 62 52 42 141 102 125

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Moyenne (titre elisa)

Coefficient de Variation (%)

Results : company P

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10

0

50

100

150

200

250

Moyenne (titre elisa)

Coefficient de Variation (%)

Farm P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10

PCV2 ELISA titre

840 585 1712 100 1216 300 1014 2429 6592 3145

SD (%) 123 191 73 100 78 34 146 59 66 84

Results: company C

Farm C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8

PCV2 ELISA titre

327 11 349 6592 8949 3003 4457 1022

SD (%) 144 114 188 66 65 63 139 138

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

Moyenne (titre elisa)

Coefficient de Variation (%)

Results: company D

Farm D1 D2 D3 D5 D6

PCV2 ELISA titre

3455 2611 54 48 15000

SD (%) 187 94 104 88 0

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

Pf1-29 Pf2-29 Pf3-29 Pf5-29 Pf6-29

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

Moyenne (titre elisa)

Coefficient de Variation (%)

Low and heterogeneous titers: which consequences?

• Gilts adaptation:– Heterogenous immune status at entry– Risk of PCV2 infection and circulation

• PCVD: – PCV2 immune status of sows heterogeneous

=> piglets with heterogeneous status at weaning => increased risk of PCVD

– PCVD control: major role of CMI• Increased CMI transfered to piglets in vaccinated sows

• Impact on reproductive disorders? – Pr Sarli’s study

Infected sows Négative sows

Pregnant : YES Pregnant : NO Pregnant : YES

16 11 7 0 0 0 11 0* 8

1/102

1/103

1/103

1/104

1/104

1/103

1/103 1/10

41/10

4

PCR PCV2 in blood at D+AI 21 - 35 - 21 7 28 - - - -

Tonsil - - - + - - - - -

Uterine left lymph node + - - - - - - - -

Uterine right lymph node + - - + - - - - -

Tracheo-bronchial lymph node + - - / - / - - -

Cervix - - - - + - - - -

Foetuses (positive/total litter) 10/16 - 3/7 - - - - - -

Amniotic fluids

(positive/total litter)- 1/11 - - - - - - -

Foetus and corresponding uterine tract

(left)7 - - - - + - - -

Foetus and corresponding uterine tract

(right)1 - - - - - - - -

* 3

fœtu

ses

abor

ted

befo

re n

ecro

psy

Sow 25 : the lowest titer and the biggest pcv2

contamination in genital tract

Pr Hans NAUWYNCK

DVM, PhD – Laboratory of Virology –

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine – Ghent University - Belgium

What should we do?

« You will have to test gilts before entering in farm, and you must not introduce naïve gilts to PCV2.Not to vaccinate gilts against PCV2 is a mistake.» 

« You have just one thing to do: vaccinate them, as you do against PPV.»

Agenda

• PCV2 and purchased gilts: what is their status versus PCV2 infection?

• PCV2 and gilt acclimatization: benefit of PCV2 vaccination:– purchased gilts – self replacement gilts

• Circovac and results at first farrowing

Vaccination study with Circovac at the experimental station of Guernevez

Impact on acclimatization and performances of high health

status gilts

High microbial pressure (PCV, SIV)

All gilts seroconverted to PCV2 (ELISA)= infected with PCV2

What could you expect with only PCV2 management?

Gilt health status in quarantine

Material and methods

Animals• 5 vaccinated batches (n= 82)• 4 control batches (n=93)

Circovac vaccination • Primo vaccination of gilts:

– 5 and 2 weeks before entering in quarantine

• Primo vaccination of sows:– 6 and 3 weeks before farrowing

• Booster: 3 weeks before farrowing

AA

BB

Results:clinical monitoring in quarantine

Week N 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Non vaccinated

B 20 18Appe (3)Anor (1)

Limp (3) Appe (1) Anor (2)

Nothing Nothing Limp (1) Appe (1) Anor (2) Anor (1)

B 21 18Appe (1)Anor (2)

Appe (1) Appe (1) Appe (2)Appe (2)Diar (2)

Appe (2)Anor (1)

Appe (2)Diar (3)

Appe(2)

B 22 19 Nothing Appe (1) Anor (1) NothingAppe (1)Death (1)

Nothing Nothing Nothing

B 23 20 Appe (1)Appe (1)Death (1)H++ (1)

Appe (1)Anor (1)

Nothing Anor (1)Anor (1)

Death (1)Anor (4) Nothing

B 24 17 Anor (3) Appe (2) Nothing Nothing Appe (1)Loss of weight

Anor (2) Appe (1)

VaccinatedB 26 18 Nothing Nothing Nothing Nothing Nothing Nothing Anor (1) Nothing

B 27 16 Anor (1) Nothing Nothing Nothing Nothing ND ND ND

B 29 15 Nothing Anor (2) Nothing Nothing Nothing Nothing Anor (1) Nothing

B 30 15 Nothing Nothing Nothing Dia (1) Nothing Nothing Nothing Nothing

• H+ = Hyperthermia from 39,5 to 39,9°C. H++ = Hyperthermia from 40,0 to 40,5°C. H+++ > 40,5°C

•Figure in brackets means number days with clinical signs.

• Diar = Diarrhoea – Appe = Lack of appetite, left-overs- Anor = Anorexia (too much left-overs)- Para = Paralysis - Limp = Limping.

•Figure in brackets means number days with clinical signs.

• ND =No Defined - Death = Mortality.

•Figure in brackets means number of gilts

Less clinical signs in quarantine in the vaccinated batches!

Results:ADWG in quarantine

318

282

355337

327

417

471

434 434

250

300

350

400

450

500

B20 B21 B22 B23 B24 B26 B27 B29 B30

Non vaccinated ≈ 325 g/d

Vaccinated

≈ 439 g/d

p < 0,001

Improvement of ADWG of vaccinated gilts!

ADWG 3 weeks after insemination

224

403

200

250

300

350

400

450

Non vaccinated Vaccinated

g/j

ou

rg

/day

Better acclimatization of gilts at entry in farm

Results:weight at the first farrowing

202,5

225,1

190

195

200

205

210

215

220

225

230Weight (kg)

VaccinatedNon

vaccinated

p < 0,05

Importance of the weight at first farrowing(Rolland CARIOLET – « paysan breton »

13th-19th June 2008)

• Under 200 kg at first farrowing, a gilt can’t suckle more than 10 piglets

• From 200 to 210 kg: 11 piglets

• From 210 to 220 kg: 12 piglets

• > 220 kg she can wean 13 piglets

Total born piglets at 1st farrowing

13,03

13,5

12,7

12,8

12,9

13

13,1

13,2

13,3

13,4

13,5

13,6

Non vaccinated Vaccinated

+0.5 total born in vaccinated group

Conclusion

• In quarantine:– better gilt acclimatization: less clinical signs– better growth

• At insemination:– better growth

• At first farrowing:– improvement of born piglets/ litter

Improvement all along the gilt life!

Improvement of reproductive parameters of gilts after Circovac vaccination

Michel NoirritDVM - France

Farm description

• 1600 sows, farrow to finish, Brittany, France

• Internal breeding, GP Topigs A producing Topigs 40 gilts

• Gilts raised separately, 12 weeks in quarantine

• No clinical signs of PMWS after weaning

• PRRS – mass vaccination with

PROGRESSIS® every 3,5 months

– stable situation

Case description

Reproduction parameters

Conception rate (all sows) 95.21% Abortion rate (all sows) 3.75 % Abortion rate (gilts) 7.27 % Mummified foetuses 0.3/litter Still born piglets 0.73/litter

Wean to finish mortality rate 3.5 to 4.5%

Case description

• 15 gilts introduced every week – in a batch of 70 sows– after PRRS, parvovirus and erysipelas vaccination in

quarantine

• Individual housing up to 25 days after AI, then group housing (welfare regulation)

• Abortions up to 80 days of pregnancy: – PCR Leptospira, PRRSV, parvovirus: negative– PCR PCV2: positive on 4 hearts of aborted foetuses

PCV2 Circovac vaccination

• Circovac vaccination on gilts – 11/15 batches– 2 injections during quarantine + booster injection

3 weeks before farrowing

• Circovac mass vaccination of the sow herd– 2 injections at a 3-week-interval

Reproductive parameters before and after Circovac

Non vaccinated gilts

Circovac vaccinated

gilts

p

Gilts (number) 165 165

% return to oestrus 5.1 % 1.8 % 0.125

% abortion (n°) 7.3% (12) 3.6% (6) 0.146

% farrowing 83.9 % 90.5 % 0.072

Mummies/litter 0.3 0.3

Stillborn/litter 0.8 0.8

Weaning to Fecundation interval

8.7 days 5.5 days NA

Conception rate of young sows and immunity

• Fertility rate over 95% = good management of AI• Long period of adaptation

– 12 weeks quarantine– PRRS stabilisation, SMEDI primo-infection

• Nevertheless: 62.5% of returns to heat on parities 1 and 2 before Circovac vaccination

= lack of immunity of naïve young females suspected

PCV2 vaccination seems necessary even without clinical signs of PMWS

Agenda

• PCV2 and purchased gilts: what is their status versus PCV2 infection?

• PCV2 and gilt acclimatization: benefit of PCV2 vaccination:– purchased gilts – self replacement gilts

• CIRCOVAC and results at first farrowing

PORFIMAD study

•

• Comparative study on reproductive parameters:• 10 vaccinated farms

•sows and gilts vaccinated with Circovac for at least one year

• 9 control farms •non vaccinated

28x106/year 18x106/year 0,9x106/year

1,2 106 800x103 44x103

Total born/litter Born alive/litter

13,3

12,8

12

12,2

12,4

12,6

12,8

13

13,2

13,4

P1

Vaccinated Non vaccinated

+ 0,5

Parity

13,3

12,8

12

12,2

12,4

12,6

12,8

13

13,2

13,4

P1

+ 0,4

Parity

Conclusion

• In this study: live born piglets from young sows

• Field studies all over the world demonstrate a significant improvement of the breeding performances after vaccination

• Improvement on 1st farrowing:– it could be explained by low contact with PCV2 before

entering in quarantine in some cases (naive animals)– it emphasizes the importance of gilt vaccination

Discussion

• Low infection rate in gilts in nucleus farms: – Successful management in genetic farms (no rhinitis, no

PRRSV): consequently low viral pressure– But PCV2 is ubiquitous:

• Gilts PCV2 infected with low and heterogenous titers• Some naïve batches (seronegative)

• Introduction of gilts in commercial farm is at risk– Adaptation problems– PCV2 reproductive disorders may happen

• How to protect gilts?– In nucleus farms: vaccination before entering in quarantine– In production farms:

• Routine PCV2 sow vaccination as parvovirus (2 ml, twice)• Booster vaccination before the first farrowing (2 ml)• Role of boar

Thanks for your attention!