Development of a herd-specific lung homogenate for exposure to Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae under field conditions

The swine industry is known for holding high standards of disease control and elimination. However, partial disease control for Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae at the farm level has been evident and has driven initiatives for unconventional health management strategies. Several approaches focused on gilt exposure for M hyopneumoniae using a herd-specific lung homogenate have been performed in the field. Nevertheless, variations in efficacy are apparent and a publicly available protocol for producing M hyopneumoniae lung homogenate under field conditions is not available. In this practice tip, a protocol is described for developing a herd-specific lung homogenate for M hyopneumoniae exposure intended for use in veterinary-supervised elimination or control programs. A herd-specific lung homogenate inoculum, free of secondary respiratory pathogens for the herd of intended use and with an adequate M hyopneumoniae concentration, was obtained through extensive diagnostic testing and evaluation of M hyopneumoniae localization within the lung. Molecular methods were applied to characterize the M hyopneumoniae present in the lung and to evaluate the genomic stability of the bacterium during the exposure process. In doing so, a herd-specific M hyopneumoniae lung homogenate for gilt acclimation was obtained under field conditions.