Case Study: Control of IAV-S Using Ingelvac Provenza® in a Whole-Herd Approach
Influenza A virus in swine (IAV-S) is considered to be the one of the top 3 diseases threatening productivity in swine herds. IAV-S is hard to control on many farms because it can become endemic from continuous exposure of your pigs to resident IAV-S or as a result of the arrival of replacement animal carrying new strains.1-4 Because pigs are born free of IAV-S (i.e., there is no vertical transmission from the sow) producers can capitalize on this naïve neonatal period by implementing a whole-herd approach (WHA) and ultimately help reduce IAV-S endemicity and its impact in your pigs.5,6
The goal of a WHA is to minimize exposure though good management and husbandry practices while maximizing immunity through timely appropriate vaccination.6 In 2019, Dr. Clayton Johnson, a veterinarian with Carthage Veterinary Service, partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) to put a WHA to the test in a 6000 sow, closed-herd gilt multiplier with endemic IAV-S, providing IAV-S-shedding pigs to downstream customers and routine IAV-S circulation in the gilt development unit (GDU).
Johnson used a 5-step process to control endemic disease
-
Identify desired goals
Control endemic IAV-S -
Determine current status
IAV-S positive in farrowing house and GDU -
Understand current constraints
- GDU: a continuous-flow system with 12 individual wean-to-finish rooms, each housing internal replacement gilts with a 17 day age range
- Holding rooms: recently weaned pigs being staged for shipping 2x week; the farm had 2 different customers for gilt and farrow weaner pigs
-
Develop soluion options
Minimize exposure and maximize immunity using a WHA -
Implement and monitor preferred solutions
Weekly polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing in farrowing house (udder wipes and piglet nasal swabs), holding rooms (nasal and environmental swabs) and GDU (oral fluid)
Minimizing exposure
Johnson implemented a Danish entry system between rooms in the GDU, with dedicated coveralls and boots for different rooms. In holding rooms, Johnson implemented both the danish entry system and an all-in all-out pig flow. All holding rooms were rotated to allow empyting and cleaning, and personnel were encouraged to practice the healthy habits of a WHA by limiting movement of pigs and working young to old in both the farrowing house and GDU.10
Maximizing immunity
Johnson worked with Dr. John Waddell, a senior professional services veterinarian with BI to design an IAV-S vaccination program focused on maximizing immunity in suckling pigs. For 8 weeks, pigs were vaccinated with INGELVAC PROVENZA at birth and at processing. At the start of the program, the GDU was mass vaccinated with INGELVAC PROVENZA to create uniform and strong immunity, while sows were mass vaccinated with an autogenous killed vaccine. The ongoing proram involved pig vaccination at processing and retained gilt vaccination post-weaning with INGELVAC PROVENZA.
A successful outcome
Early results suggest the farm has controlled endemic IAV-S within the herd:
- Elimination of endemic state
- Noticeable reduction in coughing in young pigs
- Improvement in overall health of young pigs and quality of weaned pigs
- Reduction in prevalence of IAV in the post-weaning period
Objectives
of whole-herd
approach
Objectives of
whole-herd approach
Johnson is impressed with the outcome: “We don’t have any coughing in any age of pig. That’s unique from a herd that’s been endemic for influenza. Our customers are really happy-they aren’t dealing with the clinical signs that plague many piglets during the early postweaning stages.”
Knowing when and where to implement disease management strategies is critical. For more information abou WHA for IAV-S control, talk to your Boehringer Ingelheim representative or visit IngelvacProvenza.com
