Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health announces the introduction of MaxiVac Excell 5.0, a reformulation of MaxiVac Excell® 3. MaxiVac Excell 5.0 creates the first pentavalent inactivated vaccine to control swine influenza virus (SIV). The new vaccine controls five strains of SIV, providing swine producers with broad spectrum coverage from SIV in their herds.
“Multiple strains of SIV are circulating in the United States today, and producers can have more than one strain on their farms,” says Dr. Robyn Fleck, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health Swine Technical Services manager. “It’s important to cover multiple strains of SIV, and MaxiVac Excell 5.0 covers all of the most common strains circulating today.”
Strains covered include cluster IV H3N2, human-like H1N1 (huH1N1), H1N2-like H1N1, cluster 1 H3N2, and reassortant H1N1 (rH1N1). A recent study by Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health shows the new H1N2-like vaccine strain cross-reacts well with both contemporary H1N2 viruses, as well as contemporary rH1N1 viruses.
Licensing studies demonstrated a decrease in nasal viral shedding by 98.6 percent, 5 days following an SIV challenge versus unvaccinated controls. The vaccine also demonstrates a decrease in pneumonia and lung infection following challenge.
MaxiVac Excell 5.0 is for use in healthy swine five weeks of age or older and features a minimum two-month duration of immunity for the H3N2 strain of SIV. Pigs should be revaccinated with a 2 mL dose two to three weeks after initial vaccination. Pigs from immune dams should be vaccinated when maternal antibody levels allow active immunization.
MaxiVac Excell 3 has had an excellent safety record with more than 15 million doses sold. MaxiVac Excell 5.0 utilizes the same proven Emunade® adjuvant to provide the highest level of safety available to pigs. Emunade is an oil-and-water emulsion adjuvant and has shown excellent efficacy for viral antigens.
It is safe to vaccinate pregnant sows with MaxiVac Excell 5.0. In a safety study with MaxiVac Excell 3, sows vaccinated twice with 2 mL of the vaccine had the same farrowing percentage and number born alive per litter when compared to a control group injected with saline at four weeks and two weeks prior to farrowing. MaxiVac Excell 5.0 also can be used to vaccinate boars safely.
For safety, efficacy and broad spectrum control of SIV, the next generation in swine flu vaccines has arrived. MaxiVac Excell 5.0 provides complete coverage to protect pork producers’ herds from costly SIV infections.
SIV is an acute viral disease of swine characterized by very high fevers, depression, cough, clear nasal discharge, and difficulty breathing. Uncomplicated influenza infections will move rapidly through a finishing barn or nursery room, infecting a high proportion of pigs. If secondary bacterial infections, such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, or Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae are present, a chronic pneumonia will develop and disease will be prolonged. SIV infections may result in an extra seven to 14 days to market for finishing pigs.
The extra days to market slows producers’ pig-flow, causing costly inefficiencies they can not afford in trying economic times. “The cost of SIV varies, but it can be very costly, causing abortions, stillbirths, poor lactation performance and decreased feed intake due to the very high fever,” says Dr. Fleck. “A lost litter easily can cost $100 to $350, including non-productive sow days, which always are costly. Fever in boars can depress semen production, as well.”
For more information about MaxiVac Excell 5.0 or to learn more about Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health’s full line of products, visit www.intervetusa.com.