Evaluation of porcine circovirus type 2 double vaccination in weaning piglets that reared for gilts under field conditions.

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) double vaccination in weaning piglets reared for gilts under field conditions. The study was conducted at a Greek farrow-to-finish conventional pig farm with a previous history of PCV2 infections. The trial included 96 female piglets at 21 days of age, which were equally allocated to two different study groups. Piglets of the group-1 received a single PCV2 vaccination at 21 days of age, while piglets of the group-2 were double vaccinated against PCV2, at 21 and 42 days of age. The results indicated that the piglets of group-2 had better growth performance, as they showed higher body weight (BW) and average daily weight gain (ADWG). In addition, ELISA tests showed that the double- vaccinated piglets presented a better humoral response against PCV2, as higher levels of IgG antibodies were detected in them than the piglets of the group-1. In conclusion, the current results suggested that a double PCV2 vaccination of piglets, reared for gilts, on a PCV2-affected farm could lead to higher protection against the virus.