New edema vaccine licensed in Switzerland

A new, highly-reliable vaccine against edema disease in piglets has been developed and launched by German vaccine specialists, IDT Biologika. Ecoporc Shiga induces a high level of immunity against shigatoxin, produced by E coli bacteria which cause edema.

The vaccine has been licensed for use in Switzerland and will be marketed there from April by Provet AG, Lyssach. Approval for other European countries is being sought through the EMA (European Medicines Association), London, with a decision expected later this year.

Edema disease is a lethal infectious disease, seen in pig production throughout the world. It primarily occurs in piglets during the first weeks after weaning and is caused by a proliferation of shigatoxin-producing E coli bacteria (STEC), also known as verotoxin.

Edema disease causes serious losses to the pig industry, resulting in a high rate of mortality among infected pigs. In individual herds up to 10 per cent of piglets can die — often the heaviest pigs, with those that survive remaining runt-like. A reduction in margins of 83 Euros per sow or 41,500 Euros for a 500-sow herd has been calculated.

Piglets are injected intramuscularly with a single 1 ml dose of Ecoporc Shiga from four days old. Immunity develops 21 days later and lasts over the whole of the critical rearing and finishing phase.

In a comparative study involving 319 pigs no mortality was recorded among the vaccinated group compared with 11.4 per cent in the unvaccinated control group.

“Edema disease is a real threat to nursery piglets, which may die within hours without any chance of therapy. The one-shot vaccination with Ecoporc Shiga gives a new chance for pigs on affected farms, and significantly reduces the use of antibiotics in piglet rearing,” commented Dr Andreas Becker, IDT Biologika’s international marketing manager for animal health.

February 14, 2013 - IDT Biologika GmbH