The search for an enzootic pneumonia vaccine continues in the UK

This builds on previous research that identified genes essential for pathogen survival in pigs and strains of bacteria isolated from UK pigs.

The British Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has received funding to continue its research into enzootic pneumonia, the most common respiratory disease in pigs.

This research will focus specifically on the causative agent, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae), and will seek to advance the development of a vaccine.

M. hyo is present in 80% of pig herds in the UK and can result in a 16% reduction in growth and a 14% reduction in feed conversion of pigs. So this is not only an animal welfare issue but can also significantly increase the cost of production for farmers.

Transmission during lactation

Also, piglets are considered free of M. hyo at birth, and if there is close contact between infected and susceptible pigs, the main route of transmission often occurs when piglets are first exposed, during lactation. According to the RVC, this puts piglets at risk of developing respiratory disease and infections from secondary pathogens.

There are currently no commercial vaccines that prevent early infection, and although M. hyo is susceptible to a variety of antibiotics, their use should be minimized to prevent overuse and the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains.

An RVC spokesperson commented: “Therefore, the RVC team’s priority is to develop vaccines that provide protective immunity and reduce transmission. As the project is at an early stage, we cannot share much information at this time, however, our approach is not to do so. Based on the classic live attenuated or inactivated vaccine Instead, we will use the results from the TraDis library, which has identified key genes.”

Survival of M. hyo in pigs

Building on previous research that identified genes essential for pathogen survival in pigs and strains of the bacteria isolated from UK pigs, this new research project will identify bacterial genes essential to the disease as a basis for developing better vaccines to stop the cycle of enzootic pneumonia. .

Professor Dirk Werling, professor of molecular immunology at the RVC, said: “M. hyo infection is a very debilitating disease in pigs, which causes huge economic losses for farmers. I am pleased that we continue to work with a pharmaceutical partner to develop a new vaccine using cutting-edge technologies.”