How important are Enzootic Pneumonia and Porcine Circovirosis currently in swine production?

As we all know, both Enzootic Pneumonia and Porcine Circovirus associated diseases, together with PRRS, are probably the 3 most important pathologies in swine production at the present time, because of their significance in the past and the significance that they still have today.

Enzootic Pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is a chronic and endemic disease on our farms, which is difficult to identify in live animals, making it complicated to control. Furthermore, it is a disease with a directly proportional relationship to associated productive losses, primarily as a result of the reduction in growth rates, and also the increases in feed conversion ratios, mortality and culling rates. It is, therefore, one of the main concerns for producers nowadays.

As for the diseases associated with Porcine Circovirosis, I do not believe that anyone now doubts the impact that they have on farm productivity. Indeed, in the early 2000s, it was calculated that the impact of this pathology was close to 6,000 million euros a year, in the whole of Europe. Fortunately, the arrival of vaccines against PCV2 marked a turning point in the long history of global swine production, addressing the economic losses associated with the disease, so that vaccination now plays a key role in maintaining these productive parameters. We could say then that vaccination against PCV2 is a success story.

Vaccination against both pathologies has therefore become an essential tool on our farms today.

And now HIPRA is entering this market segment with an innovative tool – What is Mhyosphere® PCV ID?

Mhyosphere® PCV ID is the first needle-free intradermal vaccine for protection against Mycoplasma Hyopneumoniae and PCV2, all in one.

Now, the process of vaccination against M.hyo and PCV2 is quick, easy and safe, thanks to its needle-free intradermal administration and to the fact that it is a product for a single application, i.e. it is ready to use.

What were the essential characteristics in the development of the new Mhyosphere® PCV ID vaccine?

There were two key requirements for the development of Mhyosphere® PCV ID. Firstly, it had to provide protection against two of the most significant pathologies in swine production, namely Enzootic Pneumonia and the diseases associated with Porcine Circovirosis, in a single product. And secondly, the application of 0.2 ml of the vaccine via the intradermal route.

This is something that has never been achieved before, but with Mhyosphere® PCV ID, we have done it. The key to success lies in the innovation of this project in R+D, which led to the creation of a new and innovative biological entity, which we have called Nexhyon.

Tell us about NEXHYON. What is it?

Mhyosphere® PCV ID is the first vaccine based on an inactivated recombinant Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae strain, called Nexhyon. This innovative strain, which expresses the PCV2 capsid protein in its cytoplasm, acts as the unique active substance once it is inactivated.

Nexhyon represents the new generation of M.hyo vaccines based on recombinant biotechnology.

With Nexhyon, Hipra has developed a new and innovative biological entity.

What does Mhyosphere® PCV ID contribute to the control of these diseases?

What Mhyosphere® PCV ID can offer you is:

1. The control of Enzootic Pneumonia, as lung lesions and the incidence of these on the farm are reduced, with a duration of immunity of 23 weeks post-vaccination.
2. Broad protection against PCV2, as Mhyosphere® PCV ID is the only vaccine registered in Europe with efficacy against the most prevalent PCV2 genotypes, such as a, b and d. It has been shown to reduce viraemia, the duration of viraemia and the viral load in lymphoid and lung tissues from 2 weeks post-vaccination. As well as reducing nasal and faecal excretion of the virus and the duration of viral excretion from 4 weeks post-vaccination. All this with a duration of immunity of 22 weeks post-vaccination.
3. Finally, and as a consequence of both pathologies, loss of average daily weight gain and the culling rate of animals are reduced. Which allows us to put more kilos of pork on the market.

Going beyond the product itself… Let’s talk about the benefits that Mhyosphere® PCV ID brings directly to the farm

This is probably one of the most outstanding aspects of the product. Vaccination against M.hyo and PCV2 is now quick, easy and safe, as we have combined the benefits of a vaccine all in one, and the benefits of an intradermal vaccine.

Being an “all in one / ready to use” vaccine, means fewer injections than when 2 vaccines are given separately, reducing the time spent on vaccination on the farm on the one hand and reducing the stress on the animals on the other. In addition, as 2 vaccines do not have to be mixed before application, we avoid the risk of contamination during this process and we also save time.

Finally, as this is a needle-free intradermal vaccine, biosecurity is improved, reducing the risk of iatrogenic transmission of diseases between animals from sharing needles. The characteristics of the dermis itself, and the presence of large numbers of antigen-presenting cells help us to achieve a robust immune response and a reduction of the interference with maternal immunity. As well as reducing the risk of broken needles or lesions caused by the use of needles that adversely affect carcass quality. Finally, we should not forget that there will obviously be reduced stress and pain associated with the administration, so that animal welfare will also be improved.

To summarise, the synergy of the benefits provided by this product means that we can say that we save time that will allow us to be more productive, we improve animal welfare and we also reduce disease transmission by needles, or the lesions caused by the needles themselves, which also means that it is one more tool to reduce the use of antibiotics.

We see that Mhyosphere® PCV ID comes with a new intradermal application device, Hipradermic® 3.0. What innovations does this new device bring?

Yes, precisely, Hipradermic® 3.0 is a new and improved version of Hipradermic®.

One of the most important improvements has been the reduction in weight, which means that currently Hipradermic® 3.0 can be positioned as the lightest needle-free device for swine vaccination on the market.

In addition, it includes an LED indicator with different colour patterns, thereby complementing the information that is displayed on the screen, and a new button to block the injector head quickly and easily when it is not in use.

What’s more, decisions based on data are key to improving and optimising vaccination processes and, for this reason, Hipradermic® 3.0 records and automatically transmits via 3G connection all the data generated during the vaccination process to HIPRAlink® Vaccination, making it the first and only needle-free intradermal device for swine vaccination with IoT (Internet of Things) connectivity.

Which leads us to conclude that, with Hipradermic® 3.0, we have the lightest and most accurate intelligent device (IoT connectivity) on the market.

Apart from Hipradermic® 3.0, what other additional services does Hipra offer in connection with Mhyosphere® PCV ID?

Well as you know, Hipra is always working to provide all kinds of services that help to improve our customers’ businesses, and of course Mhyosphere® PCV ID will be no exception. In addition to the new Hipradermic 3.0, the Together Piglets programme is available to our customers, which is a programme that analyses the situation of the farm or company with regard to PRRS, M.hyo and PCV2, and the productive and economic effects of this situation, guaranteeing correct decision-making.

We are also introducing a new service named AI Diagnos, an innovative artificial intelligence system to evaluate lung lesions through images, which can be linked to the economic impact that they have on the farm. Therefore the diagnosis of Enzootic Pneumonia is now easy, straightforward and reliable.

Finally, we should not forget our laboratory diagnostic service, which, with the use of the latest state-of-the-art technology, allows us to provide a broad range of diagnostic tests for M.hyo and PCV2, including the new Droplet Digital PCR for the quantitative analysis of samples for PCV2, including genotyping.

What does the launch of this vaccine mean to HIPRA and how does it complement the current portfolio?

The launch of Mhyosphere® PCV ID represents a great step forward in the future of Hipra. We have launched a great many products over the last 10 years, such as Unistrain PRRS, Suiseng, Eryseng Parvo or Rhiniseng, which have made us the reference within the industry. Many of these are market leaders within their segments, and now is the time to enter the piglets market, in the best way we can. We are aware of the number of options that there are in this segment, but we are also convinced that there is room for improvement. Which is why we are launching Mhyosphere® PCV ID onto the market now, a completely innovative product that will provide a whole range of benefits to the producer which have been missing up to now. As we always say at Hipra, without innovation, there is no project.