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.

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.

Evaluation of the Efficacy of a Vaccination Program against 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, , 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.

Control in Europe Is Not Always Effective.

After introduction of the anticoccidial toltrazuril for the metaphylactic treatment of suckling piglet coccidiosis, only few field evaluations on the effect of treatment against the causative agent, , were performed. In 2018, a field study was conducted to detect the presence of the parasite on pig farms in four different European countries, and to evaluate management parameters possibly associated with infection and disease. A total of 49 farms from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Spain were included.

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

Background: A randomised field trial was conducted on an Austrian farrow-to-finish farm for one year to compare the efficacy of two commercial 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.