Keywords
porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus
swine influenza
maternal antibodies
vaccination
How to Cite
Funding data
-
Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development, Higher Education and Information Society,Ministarstvo Prosvete, Nauke i Tehnološkog Razvoja
Grant numbers 451-03-136/2025-03/ 200030
Abstract
The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of sow influenza vaccination timing on the persistence and decay of maternally derived antibodies (MDAs) against swine influenza A virus (IAV-S) in piglets. PRRSV antibody dynamics were additionally assessed to provide contextual information on maternally derived antibody decline and post-vaccination seroconversion under the same herd conditions. A total of 200 piglets (20 per group at each of five time points: days 5, 28, 42, 56, and 70) were sampled in a cross-sectional design. Serum antibodies against IAV-S and PRRSV were measured using commercial ELISA assays. Piglets born to sows vaccinated against IAV-S three weeks before farrowing (Group A) exhibited higher and more consistent MDA titers compared to those from sows vaccinated four months earlier (Group B). At day 56, 75% of piglets in Group A and 60% in Group B remained seropositive for IAV-S. By day 70, seropositivity declined to approximately 40–45% in both groups. A marked decline in antibody levels was observed over time, with a significant proportion of piglets becoming seronegative by eight weeks of age. For PRRSV, antibody levels declined until day 42 and increased thereafter following piglet vaccination, indicating successful induction of active immunity. These results highlight the
critical role of sow vaccination timing in shaping MDA kinetics and the need to align piglet vaccination strategies accordingly. Furthermore, they emphasize the necessity of integrated control approaches, beyond vaccination alone, to effectively manage PRRSV and IAV-S transmission in endemically infected herds.
References
Andraud, M., Hervé, S., Gorin, S., Barbier, N., Quéguiner, S., Paboeuf, F., Simon, G., Rose, N., 2023. Evaluation of early single dose vaccination on swine influenza A virus transmission in piglets: From experimental data to mechanistic modelling. Vaccine, Vaccine, 41, 19, 3119–3127., https://doi.org/10.1016/J.VACCINE.2023.04.018
Augustyniak, A., Pomorska-Mól, M., 2023. Vaccination Failures in Pigs—The Impact of Chosen Factors on the Immunisation Efficacy. Vaccines, 11, 2, 230. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11020230
Balasch, M., Fort, M., Taylor, L.P., Calvert, J.G., 2018. Vaccination of 1-day-old pigs with a porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) modified live attenuated virus vaccine is able to overcome maternal immunity. Porcine Health Management, 4, 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-018-0101-x
Butler, J.E., Lager, K.M., Golde, W., Faaberg, K.S., Sinkora, M., Loving, C., Zhang, Y.I., 2014. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS): An immune dysregulatory pandemic. Immunologic Research, 59, 81-108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12026-014-8549-5
Fablet, C., Renson, P., Eono, F., Mahé, S., Eveno, E., Le Dimna, M., Normand, V., Lebret, A., Rose, N., Bourry, O., 2016. Maternally-derived antibodies (MDAs) impair piglets’ humoral and cellular immune responses to vaccination against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). Veterinary Microbiology, 192, 175–180., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2016.07.014
Keay, S., Poljak, Z., Alberts, F., O’Connor, A., Friendship, R., O’Sullivan, T.L., Sargeant, J.M., 2023. Does Vaccine-Induced Maternally-Derived Immunity Protect Swine Offspring against Influenza a Viruses? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Challenge Trials from 1990 to May 2021. Animals, 13, 19, 3085. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13193085
Li, J., Miller, L.C., Sang, Y., 2024. Current Status of Vaccines for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome: Interferon Response, Immunological Overview, and Future Prospects. Vaccines, 12, 6, 606. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12060606
Ma, W., 2020. Swine influenza virus: Current status and challenge. Virus Research, 288, 198118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2020.198118
Ma, W., Kahn, R.E., Richt, J.A., 2009. The pig as a mixing vessel for influenza viruses: Human and veterinary implications. Journal of Molecular and Genetic Medicine, 3, 1, 158-166. https://doi.org/10.4172/1747-0862.1000028
Opriessnig, T., McKeown, N.E., Harmon, K.L., Meng, X.J., Halbur, P.G., 2006. Porcine circovirus type 2 infection decreases the efficacy of a modified live porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus vaccine. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 13, 8, 923–929. https://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00074-06
Petro-Turnquist, E.M., Madapong, A., Pekarek, M., Steffen, D., Weaver, E.A., 2025. Epitope-optimized vaccine elicits enduring immunity against swine influenza A virus. Nature Communications, 16, 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59182-7
Pyo, H.M., Hlasny, M., Zhou, Y., 2015. Influence of maternally-derived antibodies on live attenuated influenza vaccine efficacy in pigs. Vaccine, 33, 31, 3667–3672. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.VACCINE.2015.06.044
Renson, P., Fablet, C., Andraud, M., Normand, V., Lebret, A., Paboeuf, F., Rose, N., Bourry, O., 2019. Maternally-derived neutralizing antibodies reduce vaccine efficacy against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection. Vaccine, 37, 31, 4318–4324., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.06.045
Ryt-Hansen, P., Pedersen, A.G., Larsen, I., Krog, J.S., Kristensen, C.S., Larsen, L.E., 2019. Acute Influenza A virus outbreak in an enzootic infected sow herd: Impact on viral dynamics, genetic and antigenic variability and effect of maternally derived antibodies and vaccination. PLoS ONE, 14, 11. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224854
Saade, G., Deblanc, C., Bougon, J., Marois-Créhan, C., Fablet, C., Auray, G., Belloc, C., Leblanc-Maridor, M., Gagnon, C.A., Zhu, J., Gottschalk, M., Summerfield, A., Simon, G., Bertho, N., Meurens, F., 2020. Coinfections and their molecular consequences in the porcine respiratory tract. Veterinary Research, 51, 80. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13567-020-00807-8
Salvesen, H.A., Whitelaw, C.B.A., 2021. Current and prospective control strategies of influenza A virus in swine. Porcine Health Management, 7, 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-021-00196-0
Schmies, K., Hennig, C., Rose, N., Fablet, C., Harder, T., grosse Beilage, E., Graaf-Rau, A., 2024. Dynamic of swine influenza virus infection in weaned piglets in five enzootically infected herds in Germany, a cohort study. Porcine Health Management, Porcine Health Management, 10, 1., https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-024-00390-w
Schulze, M., Revilla-Fernández, S., Schmoll, F., Grossfeld, R., Griessler, A., 2013. Effects on boar semen quality after infection with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus: a case report. Acta veterinaria Scandinavica, 55, 16., https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0147-55-16
Shu, B., Wu, K.H., Emery, S., Villanueva, J., Johnson, R., Guthrie, E., Berman, L.S., Warnes, C., Barnes, N., Klimov, A., Lindstrom, S., 2011. Design and performance of the CDC real-time reverse transcriptase PCR Swine Flu Panel for detection of 2009 A (H1N1) pandemic influenza virus. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 49, 7, 2614–2619. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.02636-10
Taira, O., Kato, A., Tsutsumi, N., Sugiura, K., 2025. Epidemiological Review of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) in Japan: From Discovery and Spread to Economic Losses and Future Prospects. Veterinary Sciences, 12, 6, 554., https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12060554
Toman, M., Celer, V., Kavanová, L., Levá, L., Frolichova, J., Ondráčková, P., Kudláčková, H., Nechvátalová, K., Salat, J., Faldyna, M., 2019. Dynamics and Differences in Systemic and Local Immune Responses After Vaccination With Inactivated and Live Commercial Vaccines and Subsequent Subclinical Infection With PRRS Virus. Frontiers in immunology, 10, 1689. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.01689
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Vesna Milićević, Slaviša Stojković, Sofija Šolaja, Dimitrije Glišić, Snežana Ristevski, Dragan Ristevski, Gordana Ristić, Vladan Miljković