The economic consequences of PCV2

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is recognized as one of the most relevant pathogens in modern swine production, not only because of its ability to cause disease, but also due to the economic impact it entails for intensive production farms. Losses associated with its circulation may occur even in the absence of evident clinical signs, silently but consistently eroding profit margins.

Studies have estimated that the average cost of PCV2 infection reaches €9.1 per pig, with a 90% confidence interval ranging between €2.5 and €16.9 per animal. This scenario includes both direct consequences, such as increased mortality and reduced daily weight gain, as well as indirect consequences, which include the need for additional treatments, prolonged time to reach market weight, and increased susceptibility to other pathogens.

When these data are projected at the farm level, the impact becomes evident. In a system with 1,000 finishing pigs, average losses could exceed €9,000 per flow, and in larger operations, the accumulated annual cost can easily reach hundreds of thousands of euros. This effect is exacerbated in contexts where the virus circulates endemically, as the infection pressure entails a constant level of productive losses, becoming an assumed cost.

Subclinical infection represents one of the greatest economic challenges. Although it does not cause high mortality or relevant clinical signs, it significantly reduces growth rate and worsens feed conversion efficiency in the population. These alterations, when accumulated over time and across the entire flow, generate a hidden cost that is rarely identified, but directly affects the productive capacity of the farm. In markets where every point of efficiency counts, these silent losses can mean a major difference between profit and loss.

Summary

• Average cost of infection of €9.1 per pig, including direct and indirect losses.
• Accumulated impact that can reach hundreds of thousands of euros per year in systems with endemic circulation.
• Subclinical infection as the main hidden cost, reducing efficiency without evident clinical signs.

References

• Opriessnig T., et al. (2011). Porcine circovirus type 2: current status of knowledge. Vet. Microbiol.
• Segalés J. (2015). Best practice and future challenges for vaccination against porcine circovirus type 2. Vet. Microbiol.
• Holtkamp D.J., et al. (2013). Economic impact of endemic diseases in the United States swine industry. J. Swine Health Prod.