Vaccine development with the aim of preventing lameness in swine caused by Mycoplasma hyosynoviae

Most Danish pig herds are infected with Mycoplasma hyosynoviae, a bacterium that causes acute arthritis in pigs older than approx. 10 weeks of age. No effective prophylaxis is available. Therefore the aim of this project is to develop a vaccine with the potential to protect against arthritis caused by M. hyosynoviae. This is done through screening of the immunogenic effect of different antigen preparations in combination with different adjuvants. Immunogenic effects of vaccine candidates are evaluated by their ability to induce both serological and cell-mediated immune response. The two most promising antigen/adjuvant combinations obtained in the screening are tested as vaccine candidates in infection studies in pigs. Finally - if the protective effect of a vaccine candidate turns out to be satisfying - it will be tested in a controlled field study.

An effective vaccine administered to pigs at risk would reduce the acute disease problems in herds with severe outbreaks of M. hyosynoviae arthritis. Also, a vaccine could be applied to young breeding animals, which often suffer from this disease in relation to trading and moving.