Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV) is a common cause of respiratory disease among young cattle. The virus causes severe losses; the herd mortality rate can sometimes be as high as 20 %. In this study the avidity (i.e the antigen binding force) of BRSV specific antibodies was measured to see if there was a difference between antibodies produced during an acute phase of infection and antibodies produced by earlier infected animals. A commercially available ELISA-testkit against BRSV-specific antibodies was used and an incubation step with 6M urea was added. The effect of the urea is that it breaks the weak bonds between antibodies and antigen while the stronger bonds remain intact. Four different groups of animals were included in this study; seven calves that were naturally infected, three acutely infected calves with known time of infection, five cows that were seropositive during several years and four experimentally infected calves that had been a part of a Vaccine trial. The results of this study showed that antibodies produced during the acute phase of an infection had a low avidity and that the avidity increased with time after infection.

Virulent strains of Staphylococcus hyicus produce exfoliative toxins and cause a potentially fatal skin disease in piglets known as exudative epidermitis. Vaccines and antimicrobials are used to control the disease. Antimicrobial resistance and the prevalence of several different toxin genes and toxigenic strains make it problematic. The aim of this literature study was to identify potential differences between countries and between healthy and diseased pigs regarding antimicrobial resistance and toxin-producing strains. Great differences could influence Vaccine production, treatment strategies and surveillance programs.

Introduction: Every year about 450 women in Sweden are diagnosed with cervical cancer, almost 200 die and thousands undergo surgery because of cell changes in the cervix. A HPV infection can lead to cervical cancer and therefor costs for the society. The implementation of a vaccination program against HPV is a way to avoid these costs. Aim: The study aimed to calculate the economic impact of the HPV- vaccination program for children in Sweden through a cost-benefit analysis. Method: In this analysis, status quo was compared with non-administration of the HPV-Vaccine for the selected cohort of ten-years-old girls in Sweden.

Resandet mellan länder ökar allt mer och många resor går från rikare till fattigare länder i tropiska och subtropiska områden. De resande möter ett annat panorama av sjukdomar än i hemlandet och det vanligaste hälsoproblemet bland resenärer är turistdiarré. Inför resan söker många råd på en vaccinationsmottagning. Råd ges bland annat kring kost och vaccin för att förhindra turistdiarré. Syftet med studien var att undersöka det vetenskapliga underlaget för att sjuksköterskor skall kunna ge evidensbaserade råd kring kosthållning och vaccination för att undvika turistdiarré.

Virulent strains of Staphylococcus hyicus produce exfoliative toxins and cause a potentially fatal skin disease in piglets known as exudative epidermitis. Vaccines and antimicrobials are used to control the disease. Antimicrobial resistance and the prevalence of several different toxin genes and toxigenic strains make it problematic. The aim of this literature study was to identify potential differences between countries and between healthy and diseased pigs regarding antimicrobial resistance and toxin-producing strains. Great differences could influence Vaccine production, treatment strategies and surveillance programs.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is one of the most serious transboundary swine diseases because of its high lethality for pigs, socioeconomic consequences, rapid and international spread and the absence of either treatment or Vaccine. This Sida Minor Field Study (MFS) was carried out during fall 2010, as part of a larger collaborative research project called ASFUganda, focusing on the epidemiology of the disease in Uganda. The aim with this study was to get more knowledge about the pathology in cases of ASF in Uganda, by studying macroscopic and microscopic lesions in pigs with acute and chronic ASF and to detect the ASF virus (ASFV) in tissues by immunohistochemistry. The pigs were selected from the two different geographical locations in Uganda, Mityana and Gulu district, both with on going confirmed outbreaks of ASF. Necropsies were performed in the field, and the laboratory procedures at the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Veterinary Pathology Laboratory, Entebbe, Uganda, and at the Department of BVF, SLU, Uppsala, Sweden. Three pigs from an outbreak of ASF in Mityana district showed both the history and the clinical symptoms typical for ASF.

Active immunization against gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is an alternative to surgical castration of male pigs to avoid boar taint. The aim of this study, including 128 pigs, was to evaluate the effect of a GnRH-Vaccine Improvac® on performance and on social and sexual behaviour. Male pigs were assigned to three treatments; surgical castration at four days of age, immunization against GnRH and no castration. Vaccination was performed eight and four weeks before slaughter. Surgically castrated male pigs had significantly lower daily weight gain during the suckling period than entire male pigs (235 vs.

ABSTRACT. Introduction: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a retrovirus which occurs worldwide and spreads between humans mainly through sex, from mother to child, blood and blood products and between injecting drug users. After been infected with HIV for a couple of years the final stage of the infection progress into Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and there is no cure or Vaccine, only medication that delays the development of the disease. Objective: The aim of this thesis is to examine the preventive work against HIV in Sweden, the groups at risk for getting infected and to highlight sexual attitudes and behaviours among adolescents and young adults. Method: A literature based study method was used and the material is based on scientific articles and reports from active actors within the field of HIV prevention.

Bakgrund: Sedan januari 2010 ingår vaccin mot humant papillomvirus i det svenska barnvaccinationsprogrammet. Beslutet att Vaccinera eller inte Vaccinera sina barn kan vara svårt för föräldrar. Syfte: Var att beskriva föräldrars kunskap om och attityd till vaccin mot humant papillomvirus och hur det inverkar på deras beslut att Vaccinera sina barn. Design: Mixed-methods research integrated design. Metod: Beskrivande litteraturstudie.

In 2012, about 1.3 million boars were surgically castrated, most of them without anaesthesia. Castration is performed to avoid the occurrence of boar taint and aggressive and sexual behaviour. There is a growing concern about the welfare of the piglets and the Swedish Board of Agriculture is working to find efficient and functional alternatives to castration without anaesthesia. The aim of this study was to obtain an overall picture of the latest research about the alternatives to castration without anaesthesia, with focus on vaccination against boar taint, and how they affect the welfare of the pigs. The alternative methods that are available today are surgical castration with anaesthesia and/or analgesia, rearing entire males and vaccination against boar taint.

Bakgrund: Sedan januari 2010 ingår vaccin mot humant papillomvirus i det svenska barnvaccinationsprogrammet. Beslutet att Vaccinera eller inte Vaccinera sina barn kan vara svårt för föräldrar. Syfte: Var att beskriva föräldrars kunskap om och attityd till vaccin mot humant papillomvirus och hur det inverkar på deras beslut att Vaccinera sina barn. Design: Mixed-methods research integrated design. Metod: Beskrivande litteraturstudie.

Immunisering mot gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) har visat sig vara effektivt mot att hämma galtlukt på griskött och oönskat aggressivt beteende bland hangrisar. I ett samhälle där vi sätter allt högre krav på våra produktionsdjurs välfärd är efterfrågan på metoder som inte innebär smärta eller lidande för djuren stor. Det finns dessutom positiva produktionsrelaterade effekter med immunokastrering gentemot klassisk kirurgisk kastrering, såsom ökad tillväxtpotential. Faktorer som dessa talar för immunokastrering, men samtidigt finns många svårigheter med att Vaccinera mot något kroppseget och således bryta kroppens tolernas mot självt. Den här litteraturstudien behandlar svårigheterna med att rikta ett vaccin mot ett endogent hormon, vad som har lett fram till dagens upptäckter och de eventuella problem som kan uppstå i framtiden.

The castration of piglets is performed routinely all around the world. Most castrations are done without anaesthesia and analgesia, despite the fact that this procedure has been proved to induce acute pain and stress for the piglets. The procedure regarding castration of piglets is currently a hot topic of debate and an important political issue. The underlying issue is the boar taint which are highlighted in the heating of the meat after slaughter, which in turn can lead to reduced meat sales as it can be perceived as unpleasant for many consumers. The purpose of this study is to examine alternative drugs which may be selected in order to replace the practice of castration of piglets without anaesthesia, in light of improved animal welfare.

The Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) causes bronchiolitis and interstitial pneumonia, predominantly in calves, and is a major cause of bovine respiratory disease worldwide. In humans, BRSV is paralleled by the closely related Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV), an important cause of respiratory disease, most severe in infants.The clinical signs and pathology during RSV infection is caused, not only by the direct effects of viral replication, but also by the response of the host immune system. The immunopathology of RSV has long obfuscated our understanding of the disease, and development of effective treatment and Vaccines will be very difficult until greater knowledge is gained.One of the components of the immune system that has come into focus in RSV research the last few years, is the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). The TLR4 receptor is well known as the receptor that binds lipopolysaccaride (LPS), and initiates the host response to bacterial infection. Recently, it has been shown that the fusion protein of RSV also interacts with, and up-regulates the expression of, the TLR4 receptor.

The demand for animal products has increased in the last decades, especially for poultry and pork. Pork production has increased drastically globally, and also in Uganda. Thirty-one percent of Uganda´s population lives in poverty. Pig production is believed to play a crucial role in poverty alleviation, because of the ability to convert low quality feed into high quality protein together with high reproductive potential. African swine fever (ASF) is a lethal disease of domestic pigs often characterized by haemorrhagic fever and with mortality rates up to 100%. The disease is endemic in most sub-Saharan countries and since 2007 in the Russian Federation and Caucasus area.