After birth, the piglets absorb maternal antibodies with the colostrum. In the first few weeks of life these antibodies protect the piglets from pathogens with which the dam has already had contact. If piglets with a high maternal antibody level are vaccinated against mycoplasma at a very young age (in the first few weeks of life), the maternal antibodies can influence the production of vaccine antibodies - and therefore impact the immunity provided by the vaccination, as the vaccine pathogen is impaired by the protective maternal antibodies and does not induce the desired immune response, i.e. production of antibodies in the piglet. More... |
