Explore all the information on
Swine health
Pig diseases can be caused by bacteria, viruses, protozoa, nutritional deficiencies, poisonous substances, internal and external parasites.
Bacterial diseases include swine erysipelas, swine dysentery, infectious poly-arthritis etc. Viral and mycoplasma diseases include African swine fever, swine influenza, enzootic pneumonia of pigs, vesicular exanthema of swine, transmissible gastroenteritis etc. Helminthiasis as a health problem in pigs is mainly caused by worms like the lungworm, ascaris worm etc. Nutritional diseases include piglet anemia, parakeratosis etc. External parasitic infections include mange, lice, jiggers etc.
How to tell that a pig is in bad health:
General signs: dullness, loss of appetite, labored or rapid breathing, sudden deaths, loss of weight, low weight gain and fever usually manifested by shivering of the pig.
Signs expressed on the skin: reddening of the skin or skin discoloration, loss of hair and hardening of some parts of the skin, itching and cracking of the skin.
Other signs: lameness, cough, abnormal nasal discharges, diarrhea with a putrid smell, abnormal content and color of feces and abortions.
Introduction: Since 2006, Antibiotic growth promotors (AGP) are banned in the EU. Questions are raising in EU as well as in other parts of the world about the effectiveness of alternatives to replace AGPs. Commonly used alternatives in EU are products based on butyric acid. Butyric acid (C4) is a short chain fatty acid (SCFA) with a biological role, consistently present in the intestinal ecosystem, as it is naturally produced by fermentation of polysaccharides by the intestinal...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Introduction: During slaughtering procedure, every animal should be unconscious chiefly to avoid inflicting undue pain during bleeding. Exsanguination without prior stunning is an extremely controversial practice from the standpoint of animal welfare because some animals take a long time to lose brain function. CO 2 stunning can be reversible or irreversible; pigs may recover consciousness before dying, such that the time between stunning and exsanguination is a...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Introduction: It is well known that stomach barrier (acidity) acts against diverse pathogenic agents. This function is particularly influenced by particle size distribution in the diet. Diarrhoea causing E. coli is an agent of relevance in today’s pig production that can lead to weight gains up to high losses. An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the ability of a specific pathogenic E. coli to survive stomach passage, in vivo and in vitro...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Introduction: Congenital tremors is a disease of neonatal pigs characterized by action-related repetitive myoclonus. Despite early documentation (nearly 100 years ago) and worldwide distribution of the disease, the etiology of a majority of contemporary outbreaks remains a mystery but has been speculated to be an unidentified virus. This investigation describes the identification of a divergent lineage pestivirus in samples from piglets with congenital tremors and not unaffected...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Fermentation products of Cordyceps militaris enhance performance and modulate immune response of weaned piglets
Suggested link
Introduction: Porcine parvovirus 4 (PPV4) is a representative of the Copiparvovirus genus classified as Ungulate copiparvovirus 2. PPV4 was detected recently in the lung lavage samples of diseased pigs co-infected with porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2). PPV4 is unique in that its genomic sequence is most closely related to bovine parvovirus 2 classified as Ungulate copiparvovirus 1. The pathogenic nature of PPV4 remains to be determined while it seems that PPV4 is...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Introduction: Parvoviruses are small, non-enveloped icosahedral viruses ubiquitous in different animal species. Porcine parvovirus 3 (PPV3) or according to novel classification Ungulate tetraparvovirus 2 belongs to the Tetraparvovirus genus. PPV3 was found in tissues of healthy and sick pigs. The aim of this study was to detect PPV3, using two in situ methods that target nucleic acids, like in situ hybridization (ISH) and in situ polymerase chain reaction (IS-PCR) and to apply...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Introduction: The sterile alpha motif and HD domain 1 (SAMHD1) protein has been identified as a novel innate immunity restriction factor that inhibits HIV-1 infection in myeloid cells, and is a type I interferon (IFN) inducible restriction factor. Previous study showed that overexpression of porcine SAMHD1 efficiently blocked highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP-PRRSV) replication in MARC-145 cells, and SAMHD1 is activated in target cells...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Introduction: Swine influenza outbreaks are usually recognized by the sudden appearance of respiratory signs and also by quick recovery of sick animals. However, influenza A virus (IAV) can endemically circulate without causing such typical clinical outbreaks. In addition, the complexity of influenza circulation in large multi-site and multi-source herds has not been well described. The objectives of this study were to describe the dynamics of IAV circulation in...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Will New Version of GMP Boost the Veterinary Drugs Industry?
Suggested link
Introduction: The aetiology of tail biting is highly complex and its appearance in a herd can hardly be predicted. Thus, it becomes extremely important to recognise that tail biting is not a singular symptom. Cases of primary cannibalism are rather rare and need differentiation from cases of tail necrosis without support of other pigs, and from cases of secondary cannibalism as a result of primary necrosis of the tail. The aim of the present study was to show that tail necrosis...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Introduction: Spray dried plasma (SDP) is a specialty protein source used in pig diets due to its beneficial effects on post-weaning performance and survival. Processing of SDP produces a safe product; however, further evaluation of redundant safety steps may be investigated. The objectives were to determine the effect of commercially produced ultraviolet light (UV) treated liquid porcine plasma containing PEDV genome with a special UV system developed for turbid liquids...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Introduction: Tail lesions are outcomes of tail biting behaviour and reflective of impaired welfare in pigs. It is possible that tail biting is associated with other behavioural problems such as ear- or flank biting. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential of carcass tail lesions to reflect other behavioural problems on farms and thereby act as an ‘iceberg indicator’ for pig welfare. Materials and Methods: Welfare...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Kimberly VanderWaal (University of Minnesota) comments on the use of sequence data by veterinarians, during this Swine It interview with host Laura Greiner....
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Fermentation products of Cordyceps militaris enhance performance and modulate immune response of weaned piglets
Suggested link
Kimberly VanderWaal (University of Minnesota) comments on RFLP types and differentiation of viruses, during this Swine It interview with host Laura Greiner....
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Brett Ramirez (Iowa State University) highlights the importance of ventilation maintenance and information, during this Swine It interview with host Laura Greiner....
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Brett Ramirez (Iowa State University) explains different aspects of ventilation and its costs, during this Swine It interview with host Laura Greiner....
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Chris Parks (Cargill) comments on recent research and the effect of lower levels of mycotoxin in the feed, during this Swine It interview with host Laura Greiner....
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Will New Version of GMP Boost the Veterinary Drugs Industry?
Suggested link
Introduction Some authors understand antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as an imminent “tragedy of the commons” (1), of anthropogenic nature and analogous to climate change in terms of its challenges (1–3). Although the resistance process is a natural defense mechanism of bacteria, it can be intensified by the misuse of antibiotics both in humans and animals. Inappropriate use of antibiotics (AMU) in human health is a powerful inducer of AMR. However, about 73% of the...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
1. Introduction Observational, technical, and analytical skills are necessary for veterinary physicians [1,2]. For professional praxis, for instance, observation as well as pattern recognition skills within the environment are important for detecting and treating relevant diseases and conditions [3,4]. Moreover, these skills are relevant as the environment, along with demographic factors, influences animal health [5]. Recognizing patterns in nature is crucial for proposing novel...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Andrea Bonetti (University of Bologna) At weaning, pigs develop significant stress with long-lasting effects on their performance and health. Botanicals include a wide variety of bioactive molecules able to control inflammation and oxidation. The aim of the study was to investigate the ability of a microencapsulated thymol-based blend of botanicals (BOT) to support piglets’ performance and health during an LPS inflammatory challenge. To examine...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Caroline González-Vega (Cargill) This study was conducted to investigate the effects of medium-chain fatty acid blend (MCFA) and a phytogenic feed additive (Fresta® Protect, Delacon, Austria) on growth performance and gut health of Escherichia coli (ETEC)-challenged pigs. A total of 200 weaned pigs with initial body weight of 5.52 ± 0.17 kg were allotted to 40 pens (5 pigs/pen) blocked by BW and randomly assigned to 5 treatments: (1)...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
