Key takeaways
- Risk factors that may interfere with PCV2 vaccine efficacy are numerous. The domino effect of an inadequate vaccine response can cause clinical PCV2 or PCV-associated disease (PCVAD) to be seen downstream in vaccinated herds.
- Not all vaccination risk factors are created equal. Identifying risk factors will improve vaccination success, as well as help producers avoid issues with PCVAD downstream.
- PCV2 has the highest rate of mutation reported for a single-stranded DNA virus and recombination can occur causing more changes in the PCV2 genotype.
- Monitoring pigs for PCV2 allows a farm to catch problems before they escalate and avoids risking an unknown herd status change on the sow farm.1-2
Vaccinating for porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) has been shown to be effective in most swine herds, so why is it important to monitor for the virus?
Because PCV2 is such a common, resilient virus, it remains a constant threat — even when we think we have it under control. It’s true that vaccination reduces the presence of PCV2 and is an effective tool. But farms don’t exist in a vacuum, and there’s a laundry list of risk factors that can interfere with a vaccine’s efficacy. Knowing the risk factors that could impede a vaccine’s effectiveness helps to strengthen the farm’s vaccination strategy and bolster its success.
What’s the biggest risk factor that comes to mind?
It’s hard to name just one, but a co-infection with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv) is certainly one of the most common. We know PRRSv is a virus that can be immunosuppressive. Having that instability in a herd can hamper the likelihood of optimal response to any vaccine.
The domino effect of an inadequate vaccine response can cause clinical PCV2 or PCV-associated disease (PCVAD) to be seen downstream in vaccinated herds. Routine monitoring for PCV2 therefore gives farms a measure of where they’re at and potentially catches a problem before it becomes one.
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