Gastric Ulceration - Pig

Gastric Ulceration - all species

• Gastic ulceration is quite common in the pig- May be seen in 50-60% of pigs arriving at slaughterhouses.
• Has serious economic consequences.

• Clinical
  • Occasionally a well-grown pig will drop dead.
    • Deep ulcers have eroded into a blood vessel, causing massive haemorrhage into the stomach from and producing death very rapidly.
  • If long standing ulcers do not result in death, they do produce pain and discomfort.
    • Give low growth rate and poor feed conversion.

• Pathogenesis
  • Gastric ulceration is associated with modern pig rearing, but the exact cause is unknown.
  • Causes are associated with gastric hyperacidity, and gastric ulceration is probably a multifactorial disease.
  • The following are suggested as possible causes:
    • Infection, e.g. Candida albicans, Streptococci, Staphylococci and mixes of these.
    • Copper toxicity- this is probably more significant.
      • Pigs are fed copper as growth promoter; 50 ppm is know to be toxic, and animals are often fed 250 ppm.
    • Vitamin E / Selenium deficiency.
    • Feeding on concrete floors.
      • Sand is licked up whe pigs eat.
    • Feeding finely milled cereal.
    • Stress
    • Possibly genetic factors.

• Pathology
  • Most commonly affects pars oesophagea (squamous or non-glandular portion).
  • Starts with hyperkeratosis in the stratum corneum
    • Appears rough and thickened
    • May stop at this stage.
  • In approximately 30% of animals, the lesion starts to erode and quite deep ulcers may develop.
  • In a significant small number ,very deep ulcers develop and may affect virtually all of pars oesophagea.
  • Histologically, ulcers are large and flask-shaped ulcer with fibrin, necrosis, erosion and fibrosis at base.