Effect of Edema Disease Vaccination on Mortality and Growth Parameters in Nursery Pigs in a Shiga Toxin 2e Positive Commercial Farm

Diseases caused by Escherichia coli are recognized as major problems in the swine industry, one of them being edema disease (ED). Importantly, the current decrease in antibiotic use may cause difficulties in controlling the disorders caused by E. coli. Therefore, this study assessed the efficacy of a commercial vaccine against ED in nursery pigs from a farm with previous history of ED. A total of 1344 pigs were monitored; half of them were randomly assigned to a vaccinated group (VG) and the other half to a non-vaccinated group (NVG). The vaccine was administered at 7 days of age. Animals received a pre-starter feed with 2500 ppm of zinc oxide (ZnO) for 2 weeks and a starter feed without ZnO for another 3 weeks. Pen-group weights were recorded at 28 (weaning), 42 (end of pre-starter phase), and 63 days of life (end of nursery phase). Death/culling rates, average daily gain (ADG), and average daily feed intake (ADFI) were calculated for each group at each phase. The overall relative risk of dying/being culled for a pig in the NVG was 5 times higher than that of the VG group but increased to 12 times higher during the starter period. ADG and ADFI were also significantly higher in the VG group for that period. Vaccination against ED significantly reduced pig losses and improved ADG and ADFI, particularly when ZnO was not used.