Determination of the optimal timing to vaccinate sows for improved Erysipelas control

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Despite the intensive vaccination programs applied in the field, erysipelas continues to be a costly global concern for the swine industry and public health 1,2,3. Post-farrowing vaccination is routinely applied to protect the breeding stock. However, there is a need to vaccinate growing pigs due to a lack of protection in the finishing period, and it is not uncommon to detect outbreaks in the field due to antibody waning 4,5. There is a need for further studies that aim at investigating other vaccination protocols that may increase protection against erysipelas under commercial conditions. Therefore, the specific objectives of this study were two-fold: 1) to study the seroconversion in sows and piglets between pre- and post-farrowing protocols against erysipelas over time; and 2) to describe the time-to-negative erysipelas protection between protocols.