Vaccine Proved to be Turning Point for Harrison Creek Farm
When disease struck in February of 2006, the Brinker family of Calloway County, Mo., knew their sow operation was in trouble.
Piglets became seriously ill and many died. The Brinkers – Kenny, Dale and Ronnie – found their countermeasures did not offset the mysterious disease and worried their 3,000-sow Harrison Creek Farm was at risk financially.
Together with veterinarian Dr. Mac Wilt, the Brinkers decided to enroll in a diagnostic program initiated, designed and sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. It was through that program that the Brinkers discovered the disease was porcine circovirus associated disease, or PCVAD.
Once diagnosed, a vaccination program against PCVAD was started immediately at Harrison Creek and the outcome was remarkable. In fact, early results exceeded the expectations of everyone involved. “The vaccine completely eliminated all signs of classic PCVAD,” recalled Kenny Brinker.
Even before Harrison Creek Farm tried the vaccine, it had been tested in Europe. German researcher Matthias Ritzmann of the Clinic for Swine, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, called PCVAD a very complicated disease.
“Prior to the vaccine trials with Boehringer Ingelheim, we could not imagine a simple solution to this problem,” said Ritzmann. “Once we realized the remarkable disease resolution achieved by the vaccine, we were truly astonished.”
The folks at Harrison Creek are relieved the tough times and high mortality rates from PCVAD are over. Commented Dale Brinker, “After using the vaccine, it is like someone flipped a switch and the disease went away. It is fun again to work with the pigs. It’s enjoyable when they are all healthy.”