Pig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    • September 2025
    • August 2025
    • 2025 Maximising Pig Health supplement
    • July 2025
    • June 2025
    • 2025 Innovation supplement
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • 2025 Buildings supplement
    • February 2025
    • 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • 2024 Pig Health supplement
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • 2024 Innovation supplement
    • 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • 2024 Buildings Supplement
    • March 2024
    • 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • Health Supplement
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
Podcast
Pig WorldPig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    1. September 2025
    2. August 2025
    3. 2025 Maximising Pig Health supplement
    4. July 2025
    5. June 2025
    6. 2025 Innovation supplement
    7. May 2025
    8. April 2025
    9. March 2025
    10. 2025 Buildings supplement
    11. February 2025
    12. 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    13. January 2025
    14. December 2024
    15. November 2024
    16. 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    17. October 2024
    18. September 2024
    19. August 2024
    20. 2024 Pig Health supplement
    21. July 2024
    22. June 2024
    23. 2024 Innovation supplement
    24. 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    25. May 2024
    26. April 2024
    27. 2024 Buildings Supplement
    28. March 2024
    29. 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    30. February 2024
    31. January 2024
    32. December 2023
    33. November 2023
    34. 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    35. October 2023
    36. September 2023
    37. Health Supplement
    Featured

    September 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    September 1, 2025
    Recent

    September 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    September 1, 2025

    August 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    August 1, 2025

    2025 Maximising Pig Health supplement now available

    August 1, 2025
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
LinkedIn X (Twitter)
Pig World
Animal Health

Pre-weaning jab for piglets will knock-out M hyo

PW ReportersBy PW ReportersAugust 7, 20144 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

Elanco Animal Health’s one-shot vaccine to combat Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M hyo), Stellamune Once, is now licensed for use in piglets from just three-days old, the first M hyo vaccine in the UK to gain this licence. For producers, it gives even greater assurance that young piglets will be protected, and the timing helps many units by fitting in even better with other management tasks

The infectious agent M hyo is one of the most challenging to pervade global pig production. The viral and bacterial conditions it triggers can spread through a herd with frightening speed, disrupting production and eating away at unit profitability.

For a start, the M hyo pathogen is the causal agent of enzootic pneumonia (EP) and one of the primary pathogens involved in the porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC). It gives power to the severity and duration of some diseases and makes pigs susceptible to secondary bacterial infections.

All this comes at a cost. Feed efficiency and growth rates of affected pigs are reduced, adding significantly to producers’ feed bills. Infected pigs take longer to reach slaughter weight, either causing crowding problems in finishing accommodation or losing money by marketing underweight animals.

The value of vaccinating against M hyo and the benefits of a one-shot vaccine were detailed in a paper presented recently at a Pig Veterinary Society conference by Dominiek Maes of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ghent University, Belgium. He has produced more than 400 papers on animal health and is regarded as a leading authority on EP.

“In many countries more than 70% of herds are vaccinated to control M hyo,” he says. The major advantages include improved daily weight gain (2-8%), better feed conversion ratio (2-5%) and sometimes reduced mortality. Treatment costs are reduced and pigs reach slaughter weight more quickly. Vaccination also reduces lung lesions and clinical signs of respiratory disease.

“One-shot vaccines have been shown to confer similar benefits to two-shot vaccines and are more often used now,” he adds. The method requires less labour and can be implemented more easily in a unit’s routine management practices. He advises that as only one injection is given, skill in vaccinating is more critical, to ensure vaccine compliance.

The target for producers is to implement a control strategy that focuses on reducing M hyo infection in young pigs. Animals infected at or shortly after weaning pass on the health challenge to other piglets in nursery accommodation. Convalescent carriers can remain infectious for up to 200 days, highlighting why M hyo can spread like wildfire.

In some studies in the US, the severity of the disease on a unit can be predicted by its prevalence at weaning. “This is a stressful time for piglets, and it coincides with a drop in maternal antibody levels,” Mr Maes says.

Early intervention with a single dose of Stellamune Once provides piglets with protection at weaning. The one injection induces a long-lasting protective immunity and reduces the severity of lung lesions. The ability now to vaccinate piglets from three-days old adds to the proven efficacy of the product.

Producers have the assurance, too, that when piglets vaccinated at three days are challenged by infection, their antibody response and protection is not adversely affected by the serological status of sows. The immune response to infection is similar in piglets born from vaccinated or unvaccinated mothers.

In a practical presentation to the PVS, consultant pig vet Adrian Cox, of the Garth Partnership, gave the results of a field case study comparing Stellamune Once at seven days with a two-dose vaccine on an M hyo-positive 400-sow farrow-to-finish unit. Pigs vaccinated with the Elanco product gained an extra 3.2g/day (574.4g/day) from weaning to slaughter compared with those on the two-dose regime. Similarly, they gained 33g/day more in the finishing period (713.4g/day).

The result was the quicker production of heavier pigs, saving an average 4.3 days per pig on finisher accommodation. And Stellamune Once was effective in controlling lung lesions caused by M hyo.

Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleScots monitor group focus on weaning
Next Article Peter Crichton’s commentary for August 8, 2014
PW Reporters

Read Similar Stories

TTF3 – next round of antibiotic targets aims to drive further positive change

August 8, 2025

Biosecurity a top priority in tackling antibiotic use

July 7, 2025

Viral diseases: Controlling the PRRS threat

November 11, 2024
Latest News

China imposes ‘initial’ tariffs of up to 62.4% on EU pork, as anti-dumping investigation nears completion

September 5, 2025

Pilgrim’s Europe joins forces with Puretec to save water

September 5, 2025

Comment: Breaking through biosecurity barriers

September 5, 2025
Sponsored Content

Enhancing Weaned Pig Health and Performance with Zinc and Iron

August 1, 2025

THE GATEKEEPER OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH – MYCOPLASMA HYOPNEUMONIAE (M.HYO)

April 30, 2024
Current Pig Industry jobs
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1774 Aberdeenshire

    • Aberdeenshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1773 Aberdeenshire

    • Aberdeenshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Senior Pig Stockperson – Ref 1772 Aberdeenshire

    • Aberdeenshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
GETTING IN TOUCH
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Meet The Editors
  • About Us
  • Email Newsletters
  • Subscribe
  • Reuse permissions
OUR SOCIAL CHANNELS
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
PARTNER EVENTS
RELATED SITES
  • Farmers Weekly
  • Agronomist & Arable Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • National Pig Awards
  • Pigs Tomorrow
  • Poultry News
  • Weekly Tribune
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.