125. Oedema disease of swine.

Question 1

Occurrence ethiology and epidemiology?

Answer 1

Occurrence

• Sporadic,
• mainly in small farms,
• but can occur in large farms too

Ethiology

• Caused by verotoxigenic E. coli strains (VTEC),
• virulence factors:
• F18 fimbria,
• verotoxin (VT2v) ʹ
• inhibition of protein synthesis

Epidemiology

• Mainly occur 1-2 weeks after weaning in rapidly growing pigs
• Predisposing factors: weaning, sudden change in diet, high protein content of the food

Question 2

Clinical signs and Pathology?

Answer 2

CLINICAL SIGNS

• Sudden onset,
• some animals are found dead without clinical signs
• Subcutaneous edema of eyelids and the front of the face (nose, ear),
• hoarse squeal due to laryngeal edema,
• ataxia,
• flaccid paralysis,
• dyspnea,
• no fever,
• no diarrhea,
• sudden death within 36h of onset of clinical signs
• Mortality 100% (no subclinical cases)
• Pathology
• stomach filled,
• edema in stomach,
• mesentery of the colon, gut, lungs and brain,
• perivascular edema
• in the CNS (histology)

Question 3

Diagnosis and differential diagnosis?

Answer 3

DIAGNOSIS

• Epidemiology,
• clinical signs and
• post mortem lesions
• Hemolytic E. coli isolation (verotoxin production)

- Differential diagnosis

1. Aujeszky disease
2. teschovirus
3. encephalomyeletis
4. Streptococcosis
5. Glassers disease
6. Toxicosis

Question 4

Treatment and prevention?

Answer 4

TREATMENT

• Diseased animals
• no treatment (no time)
• litter mates Æ
• P.O. antibiotics
• laxants

Prevention

• by decreased feed portion,
• increased fiber content,
• gradual change of feed,
• Antibiotics in the feed
• • Vaccines ʹ fimbriated,
• but not toxin producing strains.
• Inactivated toxin ʹ not on the market