Author, Donkey, Bureaucrats, Administrators
53,803
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Created page with ' *Carrier pigs act as reservoir of infection *Organisms excreted in faeces of acutely-affected pigs *Ingestion of contaminated food and water, or via skin abrasions *Clinical out…'
*Carrier pigs act as reservoir of infection
*Organisms excreted in faeces of acutely-affected pigs
*Ingestion of contaminated food and water, or via skin abrasions
*Clinical outcome depends on susceptibility of pigs and virulence of strain
*Pigs susceptible after maternal antibody waned (after 3 months) and before protective immunity acquired (3 years)
*Change in diet, extremes of temperature and fatigue thought to predispose to infection
*Septicaemic form:
**Acute; incubation period 2-3 days
**Pigs found dead, febrile, depressed, recumbent or with stilted gait
**Mortality high
**Pregant sows abort
*Cutaneous form:
**Diamond skin lesions
**Fewer systemic signs, mortality rates lower
**Pigs febrile with small, pink/purple raised areas or extensive diamond-shaped plaques over skin
**Lesions may resolve within a week, or become necrotic and slough
*Arthritis:
**Older pigs, chronic
**Stiffness, lameness, non-weight bearing on affected limbs
**Joint lesions with erosion of articular cartilage, fibrosis and ankylosis
**Strong impact on productivity
*Chronic valvular endocarditis:
**Vegetatic thrombosis of mitral valves
**Asymptomatic or congestive heart failure and sudden death with stress
*Diagnosis:
**Diamond-shaped skin lesions
**Haematology and post mortem, especially liver, [[Spleen - Anatomy & Physiology|spleen]], heart valves, synovial tissues
**Slender Gram-positive rods on microscopy of acute lesions; filamentous forms in chronic lesions and smears
**No growth on MacConkey agar
**Colonial characteristics and biochemical tests
*Treatment:
**Penicillin and tetracyclines for acute infections
**Hyperimmune serum
*Control:
**Hygience
**Cull chronic cases
**Isolate affected pigs
**Live attenuated or inactivated vaccines[[Category:Pig]][[Category:To_Do_-_Clinical]]