FADs- pigs

Question 1

A farmer calls you because his pigs are experiencing lameness due to severe hoof lesions, on examination, they also have vesicles on their snouts. There are wild buffalo in the area, and a farmer down the street has also called to report his cows have reduced milk production due to lesions on their teats. What do you suspect?

Answer 1

• Foot and Mouth disease
• acute and highly infectious virus with wildlife reservoir
• vaccine- killed virus
• sheep/goats= maintenance host
• pigs= amplifier host
• cattle= indicator host
• U.S. considered free of this disease so it’s a big deal

Question 2

A group of weak piglets are huddling together, the farmer says they have been dying rapidly. You notice skin hemorrhages on them, and upon PE they have an extremely high fever. Dx?

Answer 2

• Classical swine fever- flavivirus
• C.S.: high fever, huddling/weakness, conjunctivitis, Diarrhea, staggering, cyanosis, skin hemorrhages, death, erythematous lesions and severe leukopenia
• prevention- vaccine

Question 3

A group of pigs are housed on a farm with warthogs in the vicinity. The farmer calls, panicked because many of them are dropping dead. Dx?

Answer 3

• African swine fever.

- C.S- high fever, anorexia, erythema/cyanosis, recumbency, bloody diarrhea, abortion, death

Question 4

A group of piglets are experiencing severe diarrhea, and vomiting. The farmer tells you that it’s “spread like wildfire” on his farm? Dx?

Answer 4

• Porcine endemic diarrhea, clinically similar to TGE but not related
• acute outbreaks in naive herds- severe diarrhea and vomiting
• in endemic herd- diarrhea and vomiting, usually only n suckling and weaned pigs
• short incubation, natural immunity in 2-3 weeks, neonatal pigs protected by colostrum
• transmission: feco oral route, fomites
• Dx: c.s., history, ELISA, electron microscopy of fecal material, PCR, PM exam
• control: biosecurity
• treatment: supportive therapy, clean dry environment, water with electrolytes, in secondary bacterial infection antimicrobials