Protection against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae works best in
piglets that are vaccinated early with a long-lasting vaccine.
This protection appears to be working up until the very end of
the finisher period. This was stated by Dr Frédéric
Vangroenweghe, veterinary advisor, Benelux for Elanco Animal
Health, writes Dutch agricultural title Boerderij. Speaking at a
symposium in Ommen, the Netherlands, Vangroenweghe referred to
scientific research from the US and South Korea. The Korean
research compared various vaccination moments, showing that
vaccinating in the first week of life yields the best results,
both for the protection duration as for the reduction of lung
lesions in pigs at the slaughter line. In the American research,
emphasis was on a potential connection between immunity through
colostrum and early vaccination. Groenweghe said that colostrum-
derived immunity does not impair the effects of early
vaccination. He said: "The common belief in the field is that
early vaccination does not have any effect, a