Pig Nematodes Flashcards
Name 4 indoor and outdoor parasites of pigs
- Acscaris suum
- Strongyloides ransomi
- Trichuris suis
- Oesophagostomum spp
Name 2 outdoor parasites of pigs
- Hyostrongylus rubidus
- Metastrongylus apri
What are some common characteristics of ascarid nematodes?
- Large, white, fleshy worms
- Direct life cycles (may include a paratenic host)
- Infective stage = egg containing the L2/L3 (larvated)
- Eggs highly resistant and long lived
- Infections usually stimulate strong immunity
Describe Ascaris suum infections in pigs
- Occur mostly in intensive and extensively housed pigs
- Similar to dog and cat Toxocara and Parascaris of horses
Describe Ascaris suum parasites
- Large worms: males up to 25cm, females up 40cm
- Females produce large numbers of eggs - 200,000 to 1 million/day per female
- Eggs are thick walled, 70um diameter
Describe the life cycle of Ascaris suum
- Eggs passed in faeces
- Develop on the ground – temp dependent, ~4 weeks
- Egg containing infective larvae (L2/L3) ingested
- Hepato-tracheal/pulmonary migration, via liver to the lungs
- Coughed up and swallowed
- Larvae develop in small intestine through L4 – L5 (adult)
What is the paratenic host of Ascaris suum?
Earthworm/dung beetle
What is the PPP of Ascaris suum?
8 weeks
Describe the pathogenesis of Ascarid suum
- Typically, don’t see a lot of clinical signs with infection
- Worm causes strong immunity so is typically seen in younger animals
- Hypersensitivity response to migrating larvae
Describe the two pathological findings of Ascaris suum due to the hypersensitivity response to migrating larvae
- Liver – fibrous reaction ‘milk spot’: can be focal or multifocal. The liver can regenerate and these resolve, so these are indicative of a current infection
- Lungs: transient pneumonia
What are the effects of Ascaris suum on pigs/economics?
- Adults in small intestine: Poor weight gain and mechanical blockage in SI
- Major economic costs: reduced weight gain and liver condemnation
How is Ascaris suum diagnosed?
- Abattoir reports: identification of ‘milk spots’
- Transient respiratory disease
- Reduced weight gain
- Patent infections - eggs in faeces
What is the importance of pigs being coprophagic?
They eat excrement so be careful when interpreting low FECs
How is Ascaris suum treated?
- Anthelmintics: MLs (injectable, longer meat withdrawal period), BZs (in-feed formulations)
- Non-anthelmintic control (to try and remove the eggs within the environment): Steam cleaning indoor pens
- Control more difficult in outdoor units
Which spp of Strongyloides affects pigs?
Strongyloides ransomi
Describe the features of a Strongyloides ransomi infection
- Typically affects very young animals
- Good immunity develops after exposure
Describe the features of adult Strongyloides ransomi
- Small - ~6mm
- Hair-like
- No ovijectors (cf trichostrongylus)
- The oesophagus takes up 1/3 of the length of the worm
Describe the eggs of Ascaris suum
50-70um
Thick, pitted outer wall
Describe the eggs of Strongyloides ransomi
40-50um
thin shelled
embryonated
What are the two life cycles of Strongyloides?
- Parasitic asexual life cycle in pig
- Free-living sexual life cycle in soil & bedding
Describe the parasitic asexual life cycle of Strongyloides
- L1 -> L3 on pasture
- The L3 can be ingested or can penetrate across the skin (percutaneous infection) -> intestine where they burrow and develop
- Can also further migrate to the udder: Transmammary infections -> lactogenic transmission
- Larvae can remain dormant in the udder which infects consecutive litters
- Only have female worms that reproduce by parthenogenesis
- The embryo can develop from an unfertilised egg/oocyst (asexual)
- Eggs are clones of the female adult worm
What is the PPP of the parasitic asexual life cycle of Strongyloides
Less than 15 days
Describe the free living sexual life cycle of Strongyloides
- L1 – L3 is on pasture
- L3 develop into L4 and L5 within the soil to become adults which then produce eggs and continue the free living cycle
- Male and female adults worms
- Feed on bacteria in the soil
- Can get a real build up of parasites
What are the advantages and disadvantages of direct and indirect development?
Direct development:
- Rapid production of infective L3 ready to infect new hosts
- No sexual reproduction
Indirect development:
- Advantage of sexual reproduction
- Disadvantage needing to find a mate for sexual reproduction & slower route to produce L3