Anemias in swine Flashcards
4 Hematopoietic diseases seen in swine.
Alimentary anemia
Hemolytic anemia
Bleeding of umbilical cord
Eperythrozoonosis (M. Heamosuis)
Who discovered swine alimentary anemia and when?
Braasch (1891) was credited with being the first to describe anemia in nursing pigs.
McGowan and Chrichton (1924) were the first to link anemia in nursing pigs with iron deficiency.
Alimentary anemia etiology and factors that increase susceptibility. (4)
Etiology: iron deficiency
Factors which compound this susceptibility to anemia:
* Newborn piglets have 12g hemogl/ml. Piglets of 8 days old have 8 g/ml.
* Required amount of iron per day is 7-16 mg/d. Sow milk provides 1 mg/per day.
* Absence of polycythemia
* Very rapid growth rates
Morbidity 100% so all piglets should get iron inj.
Wild boars get iron from soil and they don’t grow as fast as factory farm pigs.
Human has a whole body iron concentration of 60 to 70 parts per million (ppm). How much are piglets at birth?
Pig at birth is approximately 20 to 30 ppm.
47% is associated with blood,
1.6% is in the spleen,
15% is in liver and the
remaining 44% is found in body tissues.
Sow’s milk is containing only 1 to 3 ppm of iron.
The majority of body iron is bound to proteins. The most common heme complexes are (2)
hemoglobin and myoglobin, while common nonheme complexes consist of two storage forms, ferritin and hemosiderin, and one transport form, transferrin.
Following the neonatal period around 80% of the iron in the pig is associated with hemoglobin.
common non-heme complexes to contain iron consist of two storage forms: (2+1)
ferritin and hemosiderin, and one transport form, transferrin.
Hemoglobin accounts for what % of RBC weight?
30% of erythrocyte weight
The average life span of an erythrocyte in swine is
70 days.
Iron absorption can occur thoughout the gastrointestinal tract - duodenum and jejunum.
Theory in iron absorption (mucosal block theory): ?
only enough iron to meet the animal’s needs is absorbed.
Iron is taken up by the mucosal cells in one of three forms: ferrous, ferric or as part of an organic compound.
Iron is taken up by the mucosal cells in one of three forms: (3)
ferrous, ferric or as part of an organic compound.
Newborn piglets exhibited active absorption of iron for up to
180 hours of age (7,5 days).
Clinical signs of alimentary anemia. (8)
Roughness of haircoat
Growth reduction
Pale skin and mucosa
Eating soil
Listlessness, dyspnoea
Increased heartbeat rate
Diarrhea (pale)
Sudden death due to stress
Morbidity 100% so all piglets should get iron inj.
Ddx diagnoses for alimentary anemia. (3)
Blood loss
Autoimmune hemolysis
Thrombocytopenic purpura
Prevention and treatment of alimentary anemia in piglets. (4)
Iron s.c. or i.m. 200 mg/piglet (check the quality of the pharmaceutical and E vitamin).
Or Iron p.o. - iron sulphate or iron dextran.
The iron requirements for pigs 1-5 kg in weight is 25 mg iron, and 20-50 kg is 114 mg of iron.
Eating soil helps as soil contains iron.
Etiology of Hemolytic anemia, Neonatal isoerythrolysis (NI) in piglets. (3)
Immune-mediated isoerythrolysis means blood cells are destroyed by antibodies from the sow’s colostrum.
This Only develops when the sow is sensitive to the red blood cell antigens originating from the boar’s DNA.
Occurs in sows with E-blood type (total 15 blood types in swine).
Clinical signs of neonatal isoerythrolysis in piglets. (5)
Piglets are normal after birth.
24h after birth they develop symptoms of jaundice.
48h after birth they experience anemia and death.
However, Some cases are subclinical.
Larger piglets have more severe conditions (they drink more milk and thus get more isoantibodies).
Ddx diagnoses for neonatal isoerythrolysis. (2)
Severe injuries
Septicaemia
Tx of neonatal isoerythrolysis. (3)
Re-location of piglets to another sows without the isoantibodies in her milk.
Blood injections/transfusion
Vitamins, supplemental iron
Etiology of Bleeding of the umbilical cord in piglets. (5)
Primary or secondary hemorrhage of newborn piglets’ umbilical cords is caused by 1 or more of the following:
Associated with vitamin C and vitamin K deficiency.
Associated with Using sawdust bedding.
Associated with presence of Mycotoxins.
Inbreeding factor suspected (prevalence higher in farms that inbreed).
Using PG for induction of farrowing also suspected.
Clinical signs of Bleeding of the umbilical cord in piglets. (5)
Bleeding from the umbilical cord
Increase in the diameter of the umbilical cord
Pallor
Weakness
Death
Tx of Bleeding of the umbilical cord in piglets. (1)
Umbilical cord tying and/or clamping
Etiology of Eperythrozoonosis. (6)
Bacterium Mycoplasma haemosuis (some sources call it plain suis) (Previous name is Eperythrozoon suis).
Rickettsia-like microorganism. Is an epicellular bacterium, meaning it attaches to the outside of red blood cells.
Incubation period 3-30 days.
Affects piglets of 2-8 months of age.
Transmitted with blood (so with injection needles since they don’t get changed for pigs).
Mortality up to 90%.
Eperythrozoonosis affets what age group?
Affects piglets of 2-8 months of age.
Mortality up to 90%.
Transmission of Eperythrozoonosis.
Transmitted with blood (so with injection needles since they don’t get changed for pigs).
Mortality up to 90%.
