Longitudinal comparison of the humoral immune response and viral load of Porcine Circovirus Type 2 in pigs with different vaccination schemes under field conditions

Background: Porcine Circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infections are distributed worldwide and cause Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease (PCVAD). To minimize the impact of PCV2 infection on swine health and production, different vaccination schemes have been used since 2006. However, the association between vaccination schemes, virus load and disease under field conditions are not completely understood. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the effect of two different PCV2 vaccination schemes on the humoral response and PCV2 load in pigs after weaning under field conditions. Methods: Two commercial pig farms (Farm A and B), endemically infected with PCV2, which were using two different PCV2 subunit vaccinations schemes for sow, gilts and piglets, were selected. We designed a longitudinal study and measured IgG levels by ELISA and virus load by quantitative PCR in pigs after weaning. Forty 3-week old piglets were randomly selected at weaning and followed for 20 weeks. IgG levels and virus loads were compared within and between farms and considered statistically different if the non-parametric Wilcoxon-test p value was lower than 0.05. Results: We found that low virus loads were maintained in pigs from both farms regardless of the vaccination scheme used (p>0.05). However, there was significant difference in the mean IgG levels observed over time (p<0.05) while there were no significant differences in viral loads. This suggests that different humoral immune response is not associated with different virus loads observed over time. Conclusions: These results are important because they can help to prevent PCV2 infections using different vaccination schemes to minimize the effect of PCVAD on swine health and production.