Serological tests are well suited to check the immunological status of a herd.
The aim of a herd vaccination is to protect the individual animals and the herd against diseases and to interrupt possible chains of infection (1).
After a successful vaccination, a uniform and resilient basic immunity against the respective pathogens is therefore expected in the herd.

In the “Guideline for the Vaccination of Pigs”, the StIKo Vet (Standing Commission on Vaccination in Veterinary Medicine in Germany) gives the following vaccination recommendations for sow farming (StIKo Vet 2019 (1)):

1. Diseases, each animal of this age group should be protected against
·         Influenza
·         Parvovirosis
·         Erysipelas

2. Vaccination recommended if the pathogen is enzootic
·         Actinobacillosis
·         Circovirus infection
·         E.coli diarrhoea
·         Enzootic pneumonia
·         PRRS
·         Salmonellosis

3. Vaccination possibly recommendable for the herd:
·         Clostridiosis
·         Glässers disease
·         Leptospirosis
·         Edema disease / Coli enterotoxaemia
·         Rhinitis atrophicans

Due to existing vaccination practice, we have now compiled a monitoring package for checking herd immunity in blood samples from pigs.

In the screening "Sow Vaccination" we offer the following serological tests for the detection of antibodies against the following pathogens at a favorable package price:
·         Porcine Circovirus 2 (PCV2 ELISA, result as titer)
·         Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV ELISA)
·         Porcine Parvovirus (PPV ELISA)
·         Influenza A-Virus (IAV HAH)

Of course, you can also expand the screening package at any time to include further pathogen detections, such as the detection of antibodies against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Mesomycoplasma hyopneumoniae (pathogen of enzootic pneumonia) or against Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae (Erysipelas).

For a meaningful evaluation of the results, the animals should be sampled at the earliest 3 weeks after vaccination. Likewise, a sufficiently large number of samples is essential for the evaluation of the immune status of the herd. Animals vaccinated at or near the same time can be expected to have a consistent, moderate to high antibody response, depending on the vaccine, vaccination timing and health status of the animals.

Source:
1: (2019): Leitlinie zur Impfung von Schweinen. 1. Aufl. Greifswald - Insel Riems: Friedrich-Loeffler-Inst.
(= Leitlinien der Ständigen Impfkommission Veterinärmedizin (StIKo Vet)).

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Status 2_2023