Vaccine innovation helps swine producers stay ahead of PCV2

Jan 23, 2023

Since emerging as a major pathogen 20 years ago, porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) has become a fact of life for swine producers. “Virtually every farm is infected,” says Dr. James “Jamie” Lehman, DVM, MS, swine technical services veterinarian for Merck Animal Health. “It’s just a challenge of managing your immunity both in the sow herd and among your piglets.”

A large part of Dr. Lehman’s job is working with producers and veterinarians to troubleshoot PCV2 health problems. He sees pigs with PCV2 infections exhibiting poor growth rates, lethargy and skin lesions.1 Understanding the dynamics of each herd helps Merck Animal Health recommend PCV2 vaccine protocols that create the most positive outcome.

“We support customers with diagnostic plans and herd visits as needed, getting to know the operation and help plan the investigation.” Dr. Lehman says. “Every case is different, depending on the age of pig affected.”

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Video: 2026 T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science - Dan Weary

T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science: "Using science to assess and improve the welfare of dairy cattle"

Dan Weary is a Professor at the University of British Columbia. Dan did his BSc and MSc at McGill and Doctorate at Oxford before co-founding UBC’s Animal Welfare Program where he now co-directs this active research group. His research focuses on understanding the perspectives of animals and applying these insights to develop methods of assessing animal welfare and improving the lives of animals. His work has helped drive changes in practices (including the adoption of higher milk rations for calves and pain management for disbudding) and housing methods (including the adoption of social housing for pre-weaned calves). He also studies cow comfort and lameness, social interactions among cows, and interactions between cows, human handlers and technologies like automated millking systems that are increasingly used on farms. His presentation will outline key questions in cattle welfare, highlight recent UBC research addressing them, and showcase innovative methods for improving the lives of cattle and their caretakers.