Articles - Pig health

It seems we have a new virus able to produce vesicular disease in pig populations.

The immune status of farms is quite possibly different from the one they had before piglets mass vaccinations.

Due to the fact that no known enteropathogen was found in clinically relevant amounts, importance of massive Blastocystis sp. infestation was counted as significant in this case.

Despite not having a consistent post-vaccination serological reaction, vaccinated animals behave differently from unvaccinated animals under field conditions.The article explains why vaccines offer protection.

The economic evaluation of each assessment allows the producer to quantify the economic impact of pneumonia.

In practice, and to have active-acquired antibodies ready at weaning, piglets should be immunised 10 days to 2 weeks before weaning.

There are many open topics, such as: 1) what is the impact of the disease in endemic situations at the reproductive level (irregular return to estrus / fertility), especially in gilts; or 2) what is the productive impact in farrowing units, especially when we know that suckling piglets can play a role as a reservoir of the virus in an endemically infected farm.

Effect of modified-live porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus vaccine on the shedding of wild-type virus from an infected population of growing pigs.

Infectious outbreaks can last for more than a month at a population level, which explain that a new batch including mainly susceptible piglets can get infected if the animals are housed in a separate room but in the same compartment (airborne transmission).

After two weeks of quarantine, gilts started limping. Treatment with amoxycillins did not help, only treatment with high doses (10 mg/kg) of macrolides and spectinomycines brought a solution.

An accurate diagnosis is sometimes difficult because of the common occurrence of mixed infections, the compounding effects of environment and nutrition and the difficulties experienced in isolating and identifying all the possible pathogenic agents involved.

After 24 years of experience we still don't have a control plan agreed upon and accepted by all our technical community. Why?

The transmission of PEDV through the feed supply chain is an example of a complex disease transmission pathway that triggered swine feed industry stakeholders to collaborate in understanding and addressing the risk factors.

The accuracy and security provided by the combination of samples of weaned pigs and piglets at birth, either stillborn or live piglets, help us make a decision that will be crucial in any eradication plan.

Only a few EU countries are discussing national eradication as a possibility.

An erythema multiforme (EM) was noticed in the majority (90%) of breeding stock, associated with respiratory problems and without mortality.

This study investigated the prevalence of ETEC positive pigs in farms without clinical signs of diarrhea, and the antibiotic resistance pattern observed amongst ETEC strains isolates.

I truly believe some strains of this bacterium are pathogenic for piglets and can cause diarrhea and reduced growth rate; however, we do not know yet how to identify them!

The classification system for PRRSV status of herds is based upon a set of definitions reflecting the biology and ecology of PRRSV.

The tissue damage is the consequence of direct apoptosis (and necrosis) of alveolar macrophage and their neighboring cells due to the release of apoptotigenic cytokines, reactive oxygen species, and nitric oxide.

The rate and sequence of mucosal immune maturity from birth to an ‘adult-type’ pig is an important determinant of subsequent performance, health and survival, and hence impacts on the efficiency and profitability of pork production.

Senecavirus A (SVA) has been suggested as a causative agent of idiopathic vesicular disease in pigs. Additionally, a neonatal losses syndrome, affecting piglets of 0-7 days of age, associated with SVA has recently been reported.

A series of unsuccessful measures are taken until the problem is finally solved.

If we back away from the specifics of E. coli and consider the big picture of infectious disease we can gain some broader insights on control methods.