[Oral immunization of suckling piglets against classic swine fever]

Attempts were made to immunize suckling pigs against classic swine fever. The pigs were treated orally, originating from sows which were immunized on the 30th-40th and the 90th-100th day of pregnancy, as well as from sows which were vaccinated one month prior to impregnation. A Bulgarian lapinized K vaccine and a Soviet LK-VNIIVViM cell culture were used (immunization being carried out 1-2 hours before the newborns were allowed to suck) at the rate of 150 doses for both vaccines. It was demonstrated that the application of a live vaccine, which was patterned as cited above, eliminated the inhibiting action of colostral antibodies and induced stable postvaccinal immunity. However, the effectiveness of the immunity conferred depended on the vaccine used in each specific case. The Soviet vaccine, in which the amount of the virus per vaccinal dose was five times as much, was shown to be more appropriate to the needs for oral immunization of suckling pigs of sows that were immune to classic swine fever than the lapinized K vaccine.