When porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD) struck the 130,000-sow Pipestone System, their swine veterinary team made adjustments until more vaccine became available.

In 2005, PCVAD was little more than a passing concern for the Pipestone System. By the spring/summer of 2006, all that had changed as the virus began to consistently impact grow-finish pig flows.

Finishing mortality jumped from 2-5% to 6-10% or more in pigs averaging 12-18 weeks of age, recounts Joel Nerem, Pipestone veterinarian. Many cases were in herds with other health challenges.

But a few high-health herds were also struck by the porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) virus. Those herds were mostly negative for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), Mycoplasmal pneumonia and Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia.

Outlining the Problem

The Pipestone Veterinary Clinic quickly found most pigs were unresponsive to antibiotic and other treatment therapies. Further, demand for the three commercially available circovirus vaccines were quickly outstripping limited supplies.

Plus, the shareholders in the Pipestone System's farrow-to-wean operations that receive weaned pigs to finish out on their farms were quickly becoming disenchanted and demanding some answers.

Nerem, the newest of seven swine veterinarians at the Minnesota clinic, was assigned the dubious task of controlling the allocation of limited supplies of the three circovirus vaccines.

“It was kind of hard to be friends with new customers when you are the guy controlling the ‘circo’ vaccine,” he recalls.

Meeting the Challenge

As the scope of the disease widened during 2006, and more and more producer customers were impacted, the calls for vaccine grew more intense, Nerem relates. Problems were popping up in all of the Pipestone System locations: southwest Minnesota, eastern South Dakota, Nebraska and northern Iowa.

In their practice area, wasting was the most common tipoff PCVAD was present, along with the respiratory form of the disease. Enlarged lymph nodes were typical. Lesions were less commonly reported than they were by some veterinary clinics.

“At our clinic, it became very frustrating because we knew what the problem was. We knew that vaccination was the answer, but we couldn't give our producers the solution,” he declares.

“The Pipestone clinic was forced to develop criteria for allocating PCV2 vaccine to clients,” says Nerem, “with the goal of utilizing vaccine in a way that was ‘fair’ and that would have the biggest impact on pig health.”

Their position statement featured three criteria for determining which finishing flows would receive vaccine:

1. Confirmed diagnosis of PCVAD by a Pipestone veterinarian. Diagnosis requirements included clinical signs consistent with PCVAD and doubling of historical finishing mortality; gross lesions consistent with PCVAD; and, microscopic lesions consistent with PCVAD, including presence of PCV2 in lesions.

2. Severity of historical PCVAD from the source farm or site.

3. Age of pigs at the time of vaccine eligibility. Eligible pigs were 6 weeks of age or less.

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