Improving the performance and health of piglets previously vaccinated against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2)

(Summary of a clinical field trial by Machado G and Pinheiro RW, 2011)

PCV-2 and PCV-associated diseases (PCVAD) are a major problem in pigs worldwide, commonly manifesting as severe systemic and respiratory disease, and causing significant morbidity and mortality.

Key Points
l Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) infections can cause severe systemic and respiratory disease, leading to significant economic losses due to lower weight gain and reduced feed conversion efficiency l Although vaccination is now widely used, new outbreaks of PCV-2 have been observed in some farms due to reduced management and medication protocols in an attempt to cut costs l Economic damage can be reduced by using a consistent reliable medication protocol in addition to PCV-2 vaccination l In this investigation, treatment with Denagard (tiamulin hydrogen fumarate) via drinking water significantly improved animal performance when compared to PCV-2 vaccination alone, giving a high return on investment

Background
Vaccination of piglets with PCV2 vaccine at weaning is known to reduce wasting disease, improve grow-finish performance and reduce mortality rate in piglets naturally exposed and challenged with PCV-2 However, in Brazil it was observed at field level that many farms weakened their management and medication protocols to reduce costs, resulting in new outbreaks in vaccinated herds A study was therefore conducted to evaluate the benefits of administering Denagard in drinking water to animals previously vaccinated with PCV-2 vaccine The Brazilian farm selected for the trial had a known history of PCVassociated diseases (PCVAD), which were successfully controlled by vaccination. Respiratory disease related to Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo), Haemophilus parasuis and Pasteurella multocida was also present

A total of 938 feeder pigs weighing around 24 kg liveweight were selected from 1200 weaned piglets All pigs had been vaccinated at weaning with CIRCOFLEX 1.0 ml intramuscular, as well as being vaccinated against M. hyo Animals were housed in conventional finishing pens with concrete floor and wet-dry feeders, with 30 animals per pen and 15 pens per group

Parameters evaluated included clinical scores for coughing and diarrhoea, mortality rates and incidence of culls and runts, as well as overall performance (weight at 65, 101 and 145 days of age, average daily gain, feed consumption and feed conversion) An economic analysis was performed using weight gain and feed conversion differences between treatments (fattening period lasted for 80 days on average)

Treatment
Pigs were divided treatment groups: into two

Results
Pigs treated with Denagard had significantly higher total weight gain throughout the trial period than untreated animals (see Table 1) Denagard treated animals also demonstrated significantly better feed conversion efficiency (FCE) than the untreated animals (see Table 1) Average daily weight gain was significantly higher in the Denagard treated of animals (see Table 1)

- Group 1 pigs (n=471) were untreated - Group 2 pigs (n=467) were treated via drinking water with Denagard 8.8 mg/kg bw in two 5 day pulses During Pulse 1 (65-70 days of age), amoxicillin was also used at 20 mg/kg bw in drinking water in combination with Denagard; during Pulse 2 (105-110 days of age), Denagard was adminstered alone

 There was a significantly higher removal rate of runt pigs from the control group when compared to the Denagard treated group of animals (p<0.05) Mortality rates after weaning were 1.25% for the untreated group and 0.84% for the Denagard treated group; this difference was not statistically significant Of the clinical parameters studied, there was a significantly lower incidence of coughing within animals treated with Denagard (p<0.001); however, there was no statistical difference for the occurrence of diarrhoea between groups

Cost benefits
Denagard-treated pigs delivered an additional R$15.26 additional margin over feed costs when compared to untreated animals (see Table 2) The additional cost for treating with 2 pulses was calculated to be R$4.27, therefore a return on investment (ROI) of R$3.57 per R$1.00 invested was achieved*

performance, when compared to PCV2 vaccination alone, and shows a high (3.57:1) return on investment.

References
Machado G., and Pinheiro RW., (2011).Efficacy of tiamulin (Denagard 45%) treatment on piglets vaccinated against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) under field conditions in Brazil. Data on file.

Conclusion
This investigation shows that treatment with Denagard through drinking water significantly improves animal

Table 1: Denagard treatment in drinking water improves production performance

Parameter Total weight gain (kg) Total feed conversion (FCE) Total ADG (kg) Untreated control group (n=471) 75.93 2.47 0.961 Denagard-treated group (n=467) 78.94 2.27 0.999 Significance p=0.02 p=0.003 p=0.02

Table 2: Economic evaluation of the two protocols

Initial weight (kg) 23.31 23.51 0.20 Weight at 145 days (kg) 99.25 102.46 3.21 R$ /head income 337.45 348.36 10.91

Treatment

Total weight gain 75.93 78.94 3.01

Total feed conversion 2.47 2.27 0.2

R$/head feed cost 97.52 93.18 4.34

R$/head margin over feed costs 239.92 255.18 15.26

Untreated Treated with Denagard Difference

*

Based on feed-costs of R$0.52/kg and a sales price of R$3.40/kg liveweight R$ = Brazilian Real equivalent at the time of publishing to approximately US$0.6 per Real

Key benefits
l Pigs treated with Denagard via drinking water had significantly higher total weight gain (+3.21kg) and average daily gain than animals that were vaccinated but untreated during the trial period l Denagard-treated animals were also significantly more feed efficient than untreated animals (+8.1% more efficient) l Significantly more runt pigs (+2.34%) were removed from the untreated group compared to the Denagard-treated group l Denagard-treated pigs had a significantly lower incidence of coughing than the control group l Animals treated with Denagard delivered an additional R$15.26 additional margin over feed costs l A high ROI of 3.57:1 is possible by treating PCV2-vaccinated animals on a PRDC positive farm with Denagard via drinking water

Denagard is a registered trademark of Novartis AG, Basel, Switzerland. 2011 Novartis Animal Health Inc., PO Box CH-4002, Basel, Switzerland. Tel: +41 61 697 57 35. Fax: +41 61 697 67 88. www.denagard.com