A new one-shot vaccine against oedema disease in piglets is being launched in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland by Hysolv Animal Health.
Ecoporc Shiga induces a high level of immunity against shiga toxin, produced by the E coli bacteria which cause oedema. It has proved highly successful in Germany where it was developed by IDT Biologika.
Oedema is a lethal infectious disease seen in pig production. It primarily occurs in piglets during the first weeks after weaning and is caused by a proliferation of shiga toxin-producing E coli bacteria. It causes serious losses to the pig industry, resulting in a high rate of mortality among infected pigs. In individual herds up to 10 per cent of piglets can die — often the heaviest pigs, with those that survive remaining runt-like.
“Vaccines such as Ecoporc Shiga can significantly reduce the use of antibiotics in piglet rearing, acting as a preventative measure in a welfare-focussed and cost-effective way. We are advising producers to work closely with their vets on this.” commented Hysolv director Richard Brealey.
Piglets are injected intramuscularly with a single 1 ml dose of Ecoporc Shiga from four days old. Immunity develops within 21 days and lasts over the whole of the critical rearing and finishing phase.
In a comparative study involving 319 pigs no mortality was recorded among the vaccinated group compared with 11.4 per cent in the unvaccinated control group.
A German calculation showed a reduction in margin of 83 Euros (£74) per sow or 41,000 Euros (£32,500) for a 500-sow herd. In the UK farmers will be able to carry out at DIY calculation of their return on investment online using their smartphones of by visiting the shiga toxin website www.shigatoxin.com.
www.hysolv.co.uk
