8 Oct 2018
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a vaccine, diluted into drinking water, to treat diarrhoea on piglets being weaned. The vaccine reduces the global resistance problem caused by excessive antibiotic use.
The vaccine developed by VTT is a new type of product which can replace antimicrobial drugs, such as zinc oxide, used is pig production. Bacterial strains resistant to antibiotics have become a global health threat. Bacteria do not know any boundaries, so this is also a problem for Finland, although Finland uses antibiotics in moderation when treating farm animals.
“The vaccine’s production method has proved to be very effective, and it can also be used in the development of other animal vaccines. The method may be available commercially already in the next few years,” says Principal Scientist Jussi Joensuu of VTT.
Before that, however, it must be shown in practice that the vaccine is effective and safe. The first animal test was carried out this summer in Belgium, and the results in terms of efficiency are promising.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-07-vtt-piglet-vaccination-antibiotics.html#jCp