Emergence of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in southern Germany.

BACKGROUND: Over the last years, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has caused devastating enteric diseases in the US and several countries in Asia, while outbreaks in Europe have only been reported sporadically since the 1980s. At present, only insufficient information is available on currently circulating PEDV strains in Europe and their impact on the European swine industry. In this case report, we present epidemic outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea in three farms in South-Western Germany. CASE PRESENTATION: Epidemic outbreaks of diarrhea affecting pigs of all age groups were reported in three farms, one fattening farm and two piglet producing farms, in South-Western Germany between May and November 2014. In the fattening farm yellowish, watery diarrhea without evidence of mucus or blood was associated with a massive reduction of feed consumption. Severity of clinical signs and mortality in young suckling pigs varied significantly between the two affected sow farms. While mortality in suckling piglets reached almost 70 % in one sow herd, no increase in suckling piglet mortality was observed in the second sow farm. In all three cases, PEDV was confirmed in feces and small intestines by RT-qPCR. Phylogenetic analyses based on full-length PEDV genomes revealed high identity among strains from all three herds. Moreover, the German strains showed very high nucleotide identity (99.4 %) with a variant of PEDV (OH851) that was isolated in the United States in January 2014. This strain with insertions and deletions in the S-gene (so called INDEL strains) was reported to show lower virulence. Slightly lower identities were found with other strains from the US and Asia. CONCLUSION: Phylogenetic information on the distribution of PEDV strains in Europe is severely lacking. In this case report we demonstrate that acute outbreaks of PEDV occurred in southern Germany in 2014. Current strains were clearly different from isolates found in the 1980s and were closely related to a PEDV variant found in the US in 2014. Moreover, the present case report indicates that variant strains of PEDV, containing insertions and deletions in the S gene, which were reported to be of lower virulence, might be able to cause high mortality in suckling piglets.

Associations among Haemophilus parasuis, Mycoplasma hyorhinis, and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infections in pigs with polyserositis.

The objective of this study was to determine the associations among Haemophilus parasuis, Mycoplasma hyorhinis, and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus (EU-field strain) infections in 95 pigs with polyserositis. A significant association between H. parasuis and M. hyorhinis was identified. H. parasuis and M. hyorhinis were significantly more often detected in PRRS virus positive pigs.

Association entre infections avecHaemophilus parasuis, Mycoplasma hyorhinis,et le virus du syndrome dysgénésique et respiratoire du porc chez les porcs atteints de polysérosite. L'objectif de l'étude était d'étudier l'association de Haemophilus parasuis, Mycoplasma hyorhinis, et du SDRP (souche européenne-sauvage) chez 95 porcs atteints de polysérosite. Une association significative a été mise en évidence entre H. parasuis et M. hyorhinis. H. parasuis et M. hyorhinis ont été significativement plus fréquemment détectés chez SDRP positif porcs.(Traduit par les auteurs).

Reproductive performance of pandemic influenza A virus infected sow herds before and after implementation of a vaccine against the influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus.

BACKGROUND: Reproductive failure in sow herds due to infection with influenza A viruses has been described in the literature, but only a few studies have focused on the pathogenesis and the clinical signs of the infection. Case reports indicate an association between infections with influenza A viruses and reduced reproductive performance, although it has been difficult to experimentally reproduce the clinical outcome of poor reproductive performance. The aim of the present longitudinal field study was to compare the reproductive performance parameters before and after the implementation of vaccination against the influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus in sow herds infected with pandemic influenza A virus. Therefore, farm-specific data of 137 sow herds in Germany, including 60,153 sows, as well as the clinical presentation of the infection were surveyed via questionnaire. Furthermore, average performance parameters (return to oestrus rate, abortion rate, stillbirth rate, number of piglets born alive per litter, preweaning mortality rate and number of piglets weaned per sow per year) were recorded for 6 months before vaccination and 6 months after completion of primary vaccination. RESULTS: In 79.8% of the farms, the clinical presentation of the infection was characterised by a reduced reproductive performance. These findings were confirmed by analysis of the performance parameters, which revealed a significant decline in the return to oestrus rate (p < 0.001), abortion rate (p < 0.001) and preweaning mortality rate (p = 0.023) and a significant increase of the number in piglets born alive (p = 0.001) and piglets weaned per sow per year (p < 0.001) after immunisation. The stillbirth rate did not change significantly. CONCLUSION: The present study represents the first attempt to demonstrate the association of influenza A virus infection, vaccination and the alteration in reproductive performance parameters, investigating a large number of cases. The results show that by vaccinating against the influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus, an improvement in reproductive performance can be achieved in sow herds infected with pandemic influenza A virus. Additionally, the large number of herds that were affected by poor reproductive performance after infection with the aforementioned virus confirms the assumption of an association between pandemic influenza A virus and reproductive losses.

Influences of Immunocastration on Endocrine Parameters, Growth Performance and Carcass Quality, as Well as on Boar Taint and Penile Injuries.

Castration of male pigs without anesthesia is a significant welfare issue. Improvac®, a GnRH vaccine induces an endogenous immune response leading to a decrease in testicular steroids. Consequences of different vaccination schemes on testicular function and carcass quality were evaluated in immunocastrated boars (IC), surgical castrates (SC), and entire males (EM). Therefore, 128 male piglets were assigned to five treatment-groups and a long term follow-up group. IC groups received two vaccinations (V1, V2) with Improvac® at 8 and 12, 12 and 16, or 12 and 18 weeks. Testosterone-concentrations decreased significantly two weeks after V2 in feces and dropped in serum from V2 to slaughter (S) except IC-8/12 without differing significantly. GnRH-binding results indicated the highest values for IC-12/18 animals. While IC-12/16 and IC-12/18 animals showed boar taint compounds below the threshold levels, two IC-8/12 animals had concentrations above the threshold level. Feed-efficiency was higher in EM than in SC with IC in between. In IC compared to EM, a decreasing amount of polyunsaturated-fatty-acids was obvious and GnRH-vaccination reduced penile injuries. The examined vaccination protocols reduce penile injuries, improve feed efficiency and carcass quality, and reliably prevents boar taint, if manufacturer's recommendations concerning vaccination schedules are applied. Therefore immunocastration offers a reliable, animal friendly alternative to surgical castration.

Assessment of safety and reproductive performance after vaccination with a modified live-virus PRRS genotype 1 vaccine in pregnant sows at various stages of gestation.

The objective of the present study was to assess safety and efficacy of a new modified live-virus porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) genotype 1 vaccine in pregnant sows at various stages of gestation under field conditions. A total of 505 sows and gilts were allocated to two treatment groups and maintained in separate facilities. Animals of group 1 were vaccinated with a commercial modified live genotype 1 PRRSV vaccine (control product, CP), while animals of group 2 were immunized with a new modified live genotype 1 PRRSV vaccine (investigational veterinary product, IVP) (ReproCyc® PRRS EU, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH). Injection site reactions were noted to be significantly less frequent in the IVP group compared to the CP group for pain (p=0.039), redness (p=0.030), heat (p=0.016) and swelling (p=0.002). The mean total number of piglets alive at weaning did not differ significantly between both study groups (10.6 vs. 11.0, p=0.375). However, pre-weaning mortality was significantly higher (p=0.005) in piglets from the CP group (14.1% vs. 10.9%). Analyses of reproductive performance data for both groups did not result in statistically significant differences between CP group and IVP group for number of piglets alive (12.7 and 12.6, respectively), healthy live (11.9 and 11.8), weak (0.7 and 0.5), stillborn (1.0 and 0.8) and mummified piglets (0.3 and 0.2) per litter. No differences were detected between both groups for piglet birth weights, while body weights at weaning (7.2kg vs. 6.6kg, p=0.026) and average daily gain (0.2445kg vs. 0.2211kg, p=0.037) were significantly higher in piglets from the IVP group. In conclusion, the administration of a single dose of ReproCyc® PRRS EU to sows and gilts at various stages of gestation confirmed non-inferiority to a commercial PRRS vaccine regarding safety and efficacy parameters under field conditions.

Field evaluation of the efficacy, compatibility and serologic profiling of a combined vaccine against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome and Haemophilus parasuis in nursery pigs.

The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy and compatibility of a separate or combined vaccination against the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and Haemophilus (H.) parasuis. The study was conducted in a 1200 head nursery farm. A total of 360 piglets at an age of 26 days were randomized into three groups. Group A was vaccinated separately against H. parasuis (Porcilis(®)Glässer) and PRRS (Porcilis(®)PRRS), group B was vaccinated with a combined vaccine of both vaccines and group C remained unvaccinated as control group. The compatibility was evaluated by measurement of the body temperature and a palpation score of the injection site 0, 4, 24 and 72 h after vaccination. During the nursery and the fattening period the average daily weight gain (ADWG), the number of runts and the mortality was evaluated. Additionally blood samples were taken every 2 weeks during the nursery period to perform an OppA-ELISA and a PCR for PRRS virus. No significant difference could be seen regarding the body temperature between group A and group C. Piglets which were vaccinated with the combined vaccine showed a significantly higher body temperature 4 and 72 h post vaccination than piglets from group A. The palpation score was significantly higher in group A 4 and 24h post vaccination compared to the control group, whereas no significant difference was observed between group A and B. No significant differences between groups were seen in the ADWG during the nursery period. The mortality rate during the nursery period was significantly higher in group C than in group A. The ADWG during fattening was significantly higher in the vaccinated groups than in group C. A PRRS genotype1 field virus was detected at the end of the nursery period. No significant differences were observed in the number of OppA-ELISA positive animals, but vaccinated pigs seemed to react earlier. All pigs of the vaccinated groups that were positive in the OppA-ELISA did not develop Glässer's disease and remained in the study until slaughter. The combined administration had no negative influence on efficacy but showed a slightly worse compatibility than the separate administration of both vaccines. The results of the present study indicate that vaccination against Glässer's disease using Porcilis(®)Glässer might influence the results of the OppA-ELISA.