Contagious Porcine Pleuropneumonia

Clinical signs and epidemiology:
- Acute disease in susceptible herds with high morbidity and mortality (up to 50%)
- In acute outbreaks, pigs may be dyspnoeic, pyrexic or anorexic
- Blood-stained froth surrounding nose and mouth
- Cyanosis
- Pregnant sows abort
- Causes pneumonia in pigs
- Carrier herds have some immunity, protecting from acute disease, where lesions are often subclinical, and deaths sporadic
- Lung scarring and pleural adhesions in many recovered animals
- Solid immunity develops in recovered animals to all serotypes
- The disease is spread between herds by carrier pigs
Diagnosis:
- Haemorrhagic consolidation close to the main bronchi and fibrinous pleuritis may be suggestive
- Specimens are cultured on chocolate agar and blood agar in 5-10% carbon dioxide for 2-3 days
- Small colonies surrounded by clear haemolysis
- No growth on MacConkey agar
- Positive CAMP reaction with Staphylococcus aureus
- Most strains are NAD-dependent (grow on Heated Blood agar)
- Immunofluorescent- or PCR-based techniques
- The bacteria on the palatine tonsil may remain undetected by serological tests and swabbing, and can therefore cause an outbreak in naive pigs
Treatment:
- Antibiotics depending on the strain of bacteria
- Prophylactic antibiotics for in-contact pigs
Control:
- Killed and polyvalent bacterin vaccines as well as a subunit vaccine are available
- Improve ventilation, avoid chilling and overcrowding

Caused by Haemophilus (Actinobacillus) pleuropneumonia
Seen mainly between 6wks-6mths of age but will affect any age
Highly pathogenic strains are capable of initiating disease on their own with high mortality in young pigs
A fibrinonecrotic broncho pneumonia with pleurisy
Foci of haemorrhagic consolidation or necrosis, mainly around major bronchi, tend to sequestrate
Tending to spread throughout all lung lobes: therefore a cranioventral distribution may not be particularly evident

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