ASSESSING THE IMMUNE STATUS OF YOUNG PIGS WITH MYCOPLASMA INFECTION

Pig farming still suffers significant economic losses due to infection of animals with mycoplasmas. The pathogenic effect of these bacteria on the body of pigs is especially pronounced in young animals. The purpose of research is to study the nature of the impact of mycoplasma infection on the immune status of piglets. To assess the epizootological state of the complex regarding mycoplasmosis, random blood tests were carried out from all technological groups of pigs using the RNG reaction and determining the percentage of infection. Morbidity was determined by the number of animals identified with clinical signs of the disease among those infected, and mortality was determined by the number of dead animals among those infected with mycoplasmosis. Blood protein fractions were determined in piglets using an ERBA-XL100 biochemical analyzer. Determination of T-lymphocytes was done by the method of spontaneous rosette formation with sheep erythrocytes (E-ROCK). Determination of B cells was carried out in the complementary rosette formation reaction (EAC-ROCK). It was established that the infection of pigs with mycoplasmosis in different groups at the complex ranged from 24.2–65.7 %, while the highest percentage of morbidity (26.8 %) and mortality (18.6 %) of individuals was observed among piglets in growing. The negative impact of mycoplasma infection on the immune status of young pigs was manifested by a decrease in total protein (by 13.5 %) and gamma globulin fraction (by 17.8 %) in the blood serum of sick piglets compared to healthy ones. The impact of pathogenic mycoplasmas on the cellular link of the immune-competent system of the body of sick piglets was manifested by a decrease in their T-lymphocytes by 11 %, and B-lymphocytes by 21.4 % compared to healthy animals.