The Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) has recently unveiled a newly developed vaccine technology to combat Classical Swine Fever (CSF), a major health concern for pig populations. This initiative is a significant advancement in swine health management, promising a potential reduction in the annual financial loss of around Rs.4.299 billion attributed to this disease.
Understanding Classical Swine Fever and Its Impact
CSF is a devastating disease among pigs and is responsible for a considerably high mortality rate. Its economic impact in India is pronounced, with losses from the disease escalating to approximately Rs.4.299 billion every year. Since 1964, a lapinized CSF vaccine has been used to control the disease. This vaccine, which relies on the UK’s Weybridge strain, involves sacrificing a significant number of rabbits per batch for production as the term ‘lapinized’ refers to viruses adapted to develop in rabbits by serial transfers.
The Deficiency in Vaccine Production
India requires about 22 million doses of the CSF vaccine annually, but the lapinized vaccine’s production capacity falls short, managing barely 1.2 million doses per year. The production process’s ethical concerns, which involve sacrificing large numbers of rabbits, have also necessitated a different approach.
Creation of a Cell Culture Vaccine by IVRI
As a solution, IVRI initially developed a cell culture CSF vaccine, adapting the lapinized vaccine virus for cultivation in cell culture instead of using rabbits. Cell culture refers to cultivating multicellular organism cells outside their natural environment in specifically designed containers under controlled conditions of temperature, humidity, nutrition, and freedom from contamination.
Latest Advancement: Indigenous CSF Cell Culture Vaccine
Although the first cell culture vaccine was derived from a foreign strain (the UK’s Weybridge strain), IVRI further refined this process by creating a new CSF cell culture vaccine through the attenuation of an indigenous virulent CSF virus. This latest vaccine has a high titre or concentration, allowing for mass production using a cell culture. With this advancement, IVRI could potentially meet the country’s entire vaccine requirement independently.
Benefits of the New Vaccine
The new vaccine’s high titre means it can be produced more economically than previous iterations, making it the most cost-effective CSF vaccine to date. Importantly, the vaccine provides immunity for two years as opposed to the shorter protection duration of 3 to 6 months offered by currently used vaccines.
About the Indian Veterinary Research Institute
IVRI is a leading research institution dedicated to livestock research and development. As part of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), it has been providing crucial advancements in this field since its establishment in 1889. The development of the new CSF vaccine is yet another milestone in its mission.
