NEWS ▶▶▶ A step closer to a brucellosis vaccine
An Argentinian research team is working on a vaccine that could prevent Brucella suis infec- tion in swine and its potential subsequent transmission to humans, without secondary effects of current treatments. Pablo Baldi is professor of immunology at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of Buenos Aires University (UBA). He is in charge of the research team that works on the development of a vaccine to protect swine from B. suis infections. The research is being done in collaboration with the Leloir In- stitute, also located in Buenos Aires. The re- search brings a different approach from the development of other vaccines currently in use. Prof Baldi said, “Those vaccines are based
on Brucella strains that are attenuated but not harmless, which entails the risk of accidental human infections during vaccination and lim- its their use in animals due to the risk of abortion in gestating females.” The UBA investigation focused on developing an “acellular vaccine”, the content of which is limited to certain components of B. suis that are able to generate a protective immune re- sponse. Prof Baldi said, “We designed an in- tra-nasal vaccine based on a bacterial protein called BtaF, which generated excellent protec- tion from the B. suis infection in a mouse mod- el.” In trials with mice, the researchers observed a 1,000-fold reduction of viable bacteria in the spleens of animals vaccinated with the BtaF
recombinant protein, compared to the non-treated mice. Although the vaccine is still in a preliminary phase, he said: “It could consti- tute an important tool to the reduction and eventual eradication of swine brucellosis.”
Grower pigs perform better in pens with plateaus
Grower pigs housed in pens with an extra plat- form perform better than those held in pens with a single floor. That was the conclusion of a recent trial at the University of Veterinary Med- icine (TiHo) in Hanover, Germany. The research showed that piglets grew 23 grammes extra on average, measured during a six-week grow- er phase, when housed in a pen with more floor space in comparison to conventional pens. During the first weeks the piglets did not use the plateau much and the difference was relatively minor. From day 22, a more distinct difference was observed, as the piglets with plateaus at their disposal grew 596g/day versus 562g/day for piglets held in conventional pens. When it
came to animal welfare, the pigs held in pens with extra platforms appeared to have fewer skin lesions resulting from aggression. The big- ger the animals grew, the fewer lesions they had. That is directly related to the fact that the animals had space to keep away from more dominant pigs. Video observations confirmed that fewer hierarchy fights occurred in plateau pens. In the beginning of the grower phase, the piglets were observed to stay downstairs at the pen floor. The bigger they grew, howev- er, the more they used the extra platform and 445 of the 450 observed grower pigs were seen to do so – a 99% visitor percentage. Roughly 25% of the piglets could be seen at any one time on the extra platform.
According to the researchers, the largest disad- vantage of the platform system is hygiene re- lated, due to manure and urine falling through the slatted floor onto the lower platform.
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▶PIG PROGRESS | Volume 36, No. 8, 2020 41
PHOTO: CDC/DR W.A. CLARK/WIKIPEDIA
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