Boosting immunity against viral challenges

Viral infections pose a constant threat to global swine production. They can severely impact pig health and welfare, often leading to respiratory problems, reproductive losses, reduced growth rates and increased mortality. This takes a toll on overall herd performance and farm profitability. Moreover, the economic consequences extend beyond direct production losses. Indirect costs include lower feed efficiency, higher veterinary costs, additional labour and biosecurity expenses and sometimes trade restrictions, especially if the virus can be transmitted to humans.

Viruses can spread rapidly within and between farms and are particularly hard to control. A recent example is the sharp rise in swine flu cases in France, linked to the emergence of a new virus genotype (H1N2#E) that appears able to bypass existing pig immunity. This illustrates just how fast and unpredictably viruses can evolve.

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