EVALUATION OF THE PRESENCE OF COLOSTRAL ANTIBODIES IN PIGLETS OF DIFFERENT AGE ORIGINATING FROM SOWS VACCINATED WITH CHINA CLASSICAL SWINE FEVER VIRUS

Abstract

Since the placenta is multilayered, there is no transfer of maternal antibodies into the pig fetal circulation, so passive immunity is completely acquired by post-farrowing colostral intake. When speaking about investigation of maternal immunity, the problem of lasting colostral protection of piglets deriving from sows that were repeatedly vaccinated with modified live vaccine (China strain - C strain) is stressed. The objective of this investigation was to detect the presence of maternal antibodies against classical swine fever virus (CSFV) in piglets of different age deriving from sows that were repeatedly vaccinated with China strain CSFV. The examination was carried out on 35 piglets of different age deriving from sows that were repeatedly vaccinated with C-virus strain of CSF by applying immunoenzyme method (ELISA test). On the bases of obtained serological results, it may be concluded that in farm conditions there was a certain number of piglets that did not suck sufficient quantity of colostrum in early post-farrowing period and the problem may be analyzed from the aspect of half-life time of maternal antibodies against CSF. Certainly, future research should include laboratory methods that can provide more precise control of changed values of antibody titre against CSFV, both in sows and in piglets of different age with the aim to view the dynamics of persistence specific antibodies against CSFV in vaccinated pig population.