Swine MIDTERM

• Nutrient levels in pig feed

  • Starter - 0.4%-0.45% standardized total tract digestible phosphorus and 100mg/kg of zinc, assuming daily feed intake of 280-500 g
  • Grower - 0.6-0.65% Ca and 60 ppm Zn
  • Finisher - 0.45-0.5% Ca and 50 ppm Zn
  • Breeder - 0.9% Ca and 150 ppm Zn
• Porcine Dermatitis and Nephropathy syndrome (PDNS)

  Caused by circoviruses, which are small, nonenveloped viruses with a single strands of circular DNA. PCV-3 being pathogenic
• PDNS


  A type 3 hypersensitivity reaction, with the antigen present in immune complexes unknown
• PDNS - Acute phase


  • Presence of irregular, red-purple macules and papules on the skin of the hindlimbs and perineal area, although distribution may be generalized in severely affected animals
  • Lesions become covered by dark crusts and fade gradually (2-3 wks), sometimes leaving scars
  • Depressed and may have fever
  • Reluctant to move, eat
• Differential diagnoses for PDNS

  • CSF
  • ASF
  • Erysipelas
  • Septicemic salmonellosis
  • Actinobacillus suis
  • PSS
• Diagnostic methods for PDNS

  • Gross and microscopic post mortem exams
  • Serology
  • Clinical signs of wasting or ill thrift
  • Significant increase of mortality and number of runt pigs or pigs failing to gain weight or thrive in comparison to previous values for the farm
  • Presence of PCV-2 antigen or DNA in microscopic lymphoid lesions
• PDNS treatment


  No successful antimicrobial treatment because antigen triggering PDNS is unknown
• PDNS prevention


  • Use of PCV-2 vaccines has significantly reduced occurrence of this condition
  • No control measures have been beneficially designed to control PCV-3 infections
  • Frequency of PCV-3 potentially associated disease is unknown
• PDNS


  • Occurs 12-14 wks of age, with some outbreaks lasting up to 18-24 mos
  • Oedema or fluid may be seen on limbs and around the eyelids
• Atopic Rhinitis (AR)


  • Nonprogressive - Bordetella bronchiseptica, mild and transient and generally has little effect on growth and performance
  • Progressive (PAR) - Pasteurella multocida, severe, permanent, and usually accompanied by poor growth
• PAR


  Severe and irreversible form of turbinate atrophy associated with toxigenic strains of P. multocida, either alone or with B. bronchiseptica
• D

  Most frequent type of Pasteurella multocida
• Atopic Rhinitis - Clinical signs

  • Acute signs appear at 3-8 wks of age
  • Sneezing in piglets - often the first clinical sign that the farm has PAR outbreak
  • Severe - nasal hemorrhage
  • Lacrimal ducts may become occluded, tear stains appear the medial canthi of the eyes
  • Deformation of the snout (superior brachygnathia) with lateral deviation if nasal septum deviation also occurs
• Differential diagnoses for Atopic Rhinitis

  • Sneezing - porcine cytomegalovirus (inclusion body rhinitis)
  • B. bronchiseptica infections
  • Environmental contaminants (ammonia, dust, pollen, irritants)
  • Lacrimal staining - PRRS
  • Congenital deformities
• Diagnosis of Atopic Rhinitis

  • Degree of atrophy and distortion is best assessed by post-mortem examination of a transverse section of nasal cavity
  • Snout scoring scheme where there is progressive reduction of nasal turbinates (0 to 5)
  • Microbial culture of toxigenic P. multocida
  • Routine monitoring
• Treatment of Atopic Rhinitis

  • Sow vaccination
  • In-feed-medication (tetracycline or florfenicol)
  • Antimicrobial treatment of piglets (tulathromycin)
• Prevention of Atopic Rhinitis


  • Toxoid vaccines and bacterin-toxoid mixtures
  • Sows are vaccinated 2-4 weeks before farrowing and young pigs at 1 and 4 weeks of age
  • High level of colostral immunity is acquired
  • Intranasal vaccine using modified live strains of B. bronchiseptica
• Enzootic pneumonia (EP)


  Mycoplasma hyopenumoniae is known as mycoplasmosis, chronic, typically clinically mild
• Enzootic pneumonia


  • Non-productive cough is the most common clinical sign
  • Impaired growth and overt respiratory distress
  • One of the key pathogens in PRDC
  • Spread by nose-to-nose and transplacentally around 14 days age
  • Affected areas appear gray/purple, most common in apical and cardiac lobe
  • Perivascular and peribronchiolar cuffing and extensive lymphoid hyperplasia
  • High morbidity, low mortality
  • High ammonia
• Differential diagnoses for Enzootic pneumonia


  • Swine influenza
  • Other bacteria (B. bronchiseptica, P. multocida, H. parasuis, A. suis, S. suis)
  • PRDC
• Diagnosis of Enzootic pneumonia

  • Persistent non-productive cough in grow/finish area
  • ELISA, PCR
  • Culture is difficult since it is a fastidious microorganism to grow
• Treatment of Enzootic pneumonia

  • Improved management practices, particularly all in/all out management
  • Azithromycin
  • Vaccination may reduce clinical signs but does not prevent infection
• Lungworm infection


  • Metastrongylus spp., M. apri is the most common
  • M. pudendotectus and M. salmi can also be found
  • Eggs are coughed up, swallowed, and passed in the feces. Certain earthworms, notably Eisenia and Allolobophora spp. ingest th eggs
  • When pig eats earthworm, the lungworm larvae penetrate intestinal wall then migrate to the lungs via the lymphatic system and begin laying eggs in 4-5 wks
• Lungworm infection - Clinical signs

  • Heavy infections and those complicated with bacterial infections cause coughing and "thumping"
  • Wedge-shaped emphysema or atelectasis, usually at the tips and about midway along the length at the diaphragmatic lobes where major bronchi approach the lobe periphery
  • Broncho interstitial pneumonia on dorsocaudal of lungs
• Differential diagnoses for Lungworm infection

  • Mycoplasma spp.,Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Swine influenza virus
  • Non-infectious causes such as environmental factors (ammonia, poor ventilation)
• Diagnosis of Lungworm infection

  • Flotation test on eggs (Metastrongylus eggs do not float well)
  • Post-mortem diagnosis
  • Lungworm - most common parasite diagnoses with a fecal Baermann
• Treatment of Lungworm infection

  • Fenbendazole
  • Ivermectin
  • Levamisole
• Prevention of Lungworm infection


  Management practices – clean housing, providing uncontaminated feed and water
• Pasteurellosis


  • Mainly considered a secondary pathogen, usually found in EP as a concurrent infection
  • Pasteurella multocida is gram negative coccobacilli
  • Subtype A – most frequent capsular subtype of P. multocida causing pneumonia and/or pleuritis
  • Subtype D – associated with PAR
• Pasteurellosis - Clinical signs

  • Coughing, intermittent fever
  • Anorexia
  • Thumping respiration – suppurative bronchopneumonia
  • Cyanosis – severe
  • Severe sudden pneumonia affecting all lung tissue
  • Usually affects pigs between 10-18 weeks of age
  • High mortality
• Differential diagnoses for Pasteurellosis


  • Pasteurellosis is usually involved in EP as a secondary agent and therefore other pathogens that are involved in EP should be included in the differential diagnosis (B. bronchiseptica, H. parasuis, S. suis)
• Diagnosis of Pasteurellosis


  • Clinical signs
  • Presence of a suppurative bronchopneumonia
  • The corresponding bacterial isolation (lung tissue)
  • Nasal swab (minimal diagnostic significance)
• Treatment of Pasteurellosis


  • EP vaccination
  • Antibiotic treatments should follow as for enzootic pneumonia such as ceftiofur, penicillin, streptomycin,tetracycline, trimethoprim sulphonamide for 3-5 days PO
• Porcine pleuropneumonia (APP)


  • Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is previously known as Haemophilus pleuropnemonia, a severe and contagious respiratory disease primarily of young pigs (<6 mos old), although in an initial outbreak, adults also may be affected
  • Gram negative, encapsulated coccobacilli, has 15 serotypes
  • Each serotype can produce exotoxin Apx I, II, or III -main factor that damages lungs
• Porcine pleuropneumonia - Clinical signs

  • Subclinical: Sudden death without clinical signs, the bacteria is a normal inhabitant of the nasopharynx in pigs, mainly tonsils
  • Acute: fever(41.5°C), vomiting, anorexia, tachypnoea, dyspnoea and some coughing/sneezing. Open mouth breathing with blood-stained, frothy nasal and oral discharge
  • Chronic: animals that survive the acute phase become chronically affected. Reluctant to move. Extrathoracic lesions are uncommon
• Differential diagnoses for Porcine pleuropneumonia


  • For sudden death – ASF, CSF, Erysipelas, Salmonellosis, Streptococcal septicemia, acute Glasser's dss,toxin from slurry pit (H2S)
  • When only pleuritis is seen without damage of lung parenchyma, infection with this bacterium is unlikely and other systemic bacterial pathogens should be considered (H. parasuis, S. suis and/or M. hyorhinis)
• Diagnosis of Porcine pleuropneumonia

  • Complement fixation and ELISA – detects chronic and subclinical cases
  • Isolation and identification of A.pleuropneumoniae – requires V factor (NAD) supplementation for growth
  • PCR
• Treatment of Porcine pleuropneumonia

  • Tulathromycin, florfenicol and amoxycillin are good first-choice antibiotics
  • Antibiotic therapy is effective in acutely affected pigs and reduction of mortality is the most immediate observable effect
  • Parenteral is the preferred route for antibiotic administration since in the acute phase of the disease pigs are anorexic
• Prevention of Porcine pleuropneumonia


  Segregated early weaning,"all-in/all-out", good environmental management (e.g.temperature, ventilation, stocking density, excellent water supplies)
• Swine influenza (SIV)


  • An orthoinfluenza type A virus – enveloped RNA virus that has eight segments to its genome and allows reassortment of the genome
  • Defined by H (hemagglutinin) and N (neuraminidase) glycoproteins. There are currently 18 Hs and 11 Ns
  • 100% morbidity in a newly infected herd, but most animals recover within 3-7 days if there are no secondary bacterial infections
  • The virus can be inactivated by heat of 56C for a min of 60 mins, can also be inactivated by low pH of 2