Experience of vaccination against porcine parvovirus in pig-breeding herds: serological status and reproductive performance.

Blood samples from 77 gilts were examined for HI-antibody titers to PPV, all gilts belonged to the same herd and PPV-induced reproductive failure had previously occurred in the herd. Thirty-three gilts were vaccinated twice 5 and 2 weeks before mating while 44 gilts served as non-vaccinated controls. Only 3 % of the vaccinated gilts were seronegative at the time of mating compared to 14 % of the non-vaccinated gilts and 32 % of the non-vaccinated gilts had a serum titer lower than 1:64. The second part of the study comprised 4 herds with 50–70 sows in each herd. All of the herds had previously had reproductive problems caused by PPV infection. During the last 2 years, all gilts in these herds were vaccinated against PPV at 6.5 months of age with a revaccination 3–4 weeks later. There was a marked variation in serum titer levels among the 4 herds. In two herds the titers were overall rather low. In the third herd all had high PPV-titers at both sampling occasions and in the fourth herd the titers varied among animals but were rather consistent within animals at the two sampling occasions. In the herd with high titer, a PPV-outbreak was confirmed during January-March 1984. During that period all sows, vaccinated as gilts, farrowed normal litters. The results indicate that even in PPV-infected herds a large number of gilts are seronegative at the time of breeding and vaccination of gilts is therefore recommended. Furthermore it does not seem necessary to revaccinate sows, vaccinated as gilts, in herds where PPV is still present.