[A field trial for early vaccination against Gässer's disease using Porcilis Glässer]

The goal of this study was to examine the use of an early vaccine for Haemophilus parasuis in three and five week old piglets. In the first field trial, 144 female piglets were divided into four groups. The groups consisted of animals showing no clinical signs of the disease (clinically normal) and a second group displaying clinical signs of the disease (clinically suspect). Half of the animals belonging to both clinical groups were vaccinated. In a second field trial, 240 female piglets, which were clinically normal at the time of housing and originating from the same farm were divided into two groups. Swine from one group were vaccinated, and both groups were regularly weighed and clinically examined until the end of the growing-finishing phase. Vaccinated animals from the first field trial which were clinically weighed on average 0.353 kg more than animals from the nonvaccinated control group at 11th weeks of age. Piglets of the vaccinated clinically suspected group which were 13 weeks of age weighed on average 1.41 kg more than the piglets from the nonvaccinated group. The average clinical scores for both vaccinated groups were lower than those from the nonvaccinated groups. The results from the second field trial showed that the average weight of the vaccinated group was higher by 3.1 kg than those of the control group.Also, a significant difference in weight gain was found beginning in the thirteenth week of age. The percentage of altered animals or animals unfit for growing-finishing was 8.3% in the nonvaccinated group at the end of the rearing phase. In comparison, this percentage was 3.8% in the vaccinated group.