Articles - Pig health

In this article, we look at which elements of biosecurity should be considered in the design of a sow farm, although they are applicable to any farm.

In March 2021, a high percentage of severe lameness appeared in 12 to 17-day-old piglets, approximately 20% of the piglets present.

The first days of the finishing phase are key, as they will determine finishing performance. This article addresses two types of pathologies caused by two different pathotypes of Escherichia coli.

What factors can help with managing piglets without in-feed antibiotics and ZnO?

Bacteria in the gut microbiota that stimulate the immune response to vaccines in pigs also stimulate growth.

What laboratory diagnostic methods can I use to diagnose erysipelas? Which one should I choose according to the situation? How do I interpret the results?

The main concerns related to the carcass collection process and how to overcome them.

High virulence PRRS virus strains cause more accentuated clinical symptoms, higher mortality, higher viral load and dissemination in body tissues, as well as a higher inflammatory response.

In a series of seven articles we have discussed with four prestigious veterinarians the different aspects of neonatal diarrhea: infection, nutrition, management, environment, etc. We couldn't end this series without specifically addressing how to manage treatment.

Nutritional programs that manipulate the microbiota and mucosa towards the correct balance should be incorporated for the S. suis control program.

The mixing of ingredients into feed and the distribution of feed to the farm location where consumption occurs is referred to as the ‘manufacturing and post-manufacturing stage’ of the feed supply chain. This article outlines how biosecurity concepts can be applied to the manufacturing and distribution of pig feed to ensure a pathogen free product is consumed.

What laboratory diagnostic methods can I use to diagnose Streptococcus suis? Which one should I choose according to the situation? How do I interpret the results?

Objective inspection and evaluation that checks current biosecurity measures and points out weaknesses in the system so that improvements can be made.

What laboratory diagnostic methods can I use to diagnose ileitis? Which one should I choose according to the situation? How do I interpret the results?

Key biosecurity messages to move dead pigs out of the clean area of the farm to the deadstock management area prior to their treatment: external deadstock container, incinerator or hydrolysis container.

What laboratory diagnostic methods can I use to diagnose Edema disease? Which one should I choose according to the situation? How do I interpret the results?

Pros and cons of rendering carcass disposal systems, alkaline hydrolysis, anaerobic digestion, gasification, and homogenization.

This article considers the component parts of disease transmission, how it applies to the pig feed ingredient supply chain, and how manufacturers of final feed can mitigate the risk of disease transmission through contaminated ingredients.

In this series of articles, we will review some important disease transmission events that occurred through the feed supply chain and we will outline the characteristics of a comprehensive feed biosecurity program that considers the biosecurity of feed ingredients and also the milling and delivery processes.

Pros and cons of the most used carcass disposal systems: burial, composting, incineration, and rendering. Impacts on environment and biosecurity.

Answers to a series of frequently asked questions regarding vaccine usage and their interaction with the immune system.

Although cleaning between batches appears to be a basic task that all farms should be doing correctly, after talking to the authors we see that there is still a lot of room for improvement.

What laboratory diagnostic methods can I use to diagnose E. coli? Which one should I choose according to the situation? How do I interpret the results?

What factors cause increased mortality and slow-growing piglets in the nursery phase? How can we address these issues?