Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of the porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) vaccination on the levels of viremia, the number of viremic-positive pigs, and production performance [i.e. nursery mortality, post-weaning mortality, and average daily weight gain (ADWG)] under field conditions. There were 140 farrow-to-finish pig herds involved in this study. The vaccination of piglets was implemented in 82 of the 140 herds. In each herd blood samples were collected from sows and pigs in different age category. In addition, a questionnaire regarding the production performance was provided for each herd. Results demonstrate that the vaccination of piglets prevented the development of viremia in 23.2% of herds. Significant decreases in the levels of PCV2 DNA in serum and in the number of viremic pigs were also noted. These results indicate that the vaccination of piglets against PCV2 is a useful tool in controlling the PCV2 infection in herds with a high risk of a wide range of viral and bacterial agents, poor management strategies, and a low level of biosecurity practices.
