Pig Respiratory Disease

Question 1

changes at weaning for piglets

Answer 1

Moved pens
Mixed with others/larger groups
Change of feed
No mother
Routine treatments
Early weaning - can help, can leave a vulnerable 
population

Question 2

Neonatal respiratory disease + pathogens

Answer 2

Progressive atrophic rhinitis
Actinobacillus suis
Bordetella bronchisepticum

Question 3

resp diseases + pathogens in pre-weaned pigs

Answer 3

Progressive atrophic rhinitis
Bordetella bronchisepticum
Inclusion body rhinitis (pig CMV)
Enzootic pneumonia (Mycoplasma sp)
PRRSV (porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus).
Glassers disease (Haemophilus parasuis)

Question 4

Resp diseases + pathogens in weaners, growers and finishers

Answer 4

Bordetella bronchiseptica
Glassers disease
Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia
Pasteurella multocida
Mycoplasma hyopneumonia (EP) / hyorrhinis
PRRSV
Porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV)
Influenza
PMWS?/PCVAD
(Aujeszky’s disease (pig herpesvirus 1))

Question 5

Significant resp diseases + pathogens in non-immune adult pigs

Answer 5

Glassers disease
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae
Pasteurellosis
Enzootic pneumonia
PRRSV
Influenza

Question 6

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

Answer 6

Great economic importance
30-80% pigs have lesions at slaughter
‘enzootic pneumonia’ - only caused by this pathogens
Some evidence of other mycoplasmas being involved
in respiratory disease
in weaned pigs

Question 7

M.hyopneumoniae - clinical signs

Answer 7

coughing
decr food conversion efficiency (FCE)
variation in growth

Question 8

M.hyopneumoniae - diagnosis

Answer 8

Clinical signs
Lung lesions at slaughter
Culture/PCR
Histology
Serology

Question 9

M.hyopneumoniae - epidiology

Answer 9

Direct contact
Carrier sows
Aerosol 2 miles

Question 10

Actinobacilus pleuropneumoniae (APP)

Answer 10

12 subtypes but cross reactions occur
Explosive outbreaks of pneumonia with high morbidity and mortality
Seroconversion with few clinical signs

Question 11

APP - diagnosis

Answer 11

Clinical signs – acute fatal respiratory disease with
fibrinous pleuritis and firm lung infarcts
Culture, PCR
Lung lesions
Serology

Question 12

APP - Epidemiology

Answer 12

Direct contact – esp fighting after mixing
Movement of pigs – aerosol limited
Survives in water/mucus

Question 13

Atrophic rhinitis

Answer 13

Toxigenic Pasteurella multocida with Bordetella bronchiseptica
Less in recent years – better management
Colonisation of nasal mucosa by BS with production of
cytotoxin
PM damages osteoblasts and enhances osteoclast
activity - turbinate bone degeneration

Question 14

Aujeszky’s disease

Answer 14

Swine herpesvirus type 1 (SHV1)
Notifiable and not present in UK (present in NI).
Slaughter policy in UK, targeted vaccination in NI,
Ireland, Spain.

Question 15

Aujeszky’s disease - Clinical presentation

Answer 15

age and strain specific:
<15%
Adult: few clinical signs
Abortion and mummification
URT coughing
Rare neurological signs

Question 16

swine influenza virus (SIV) - clinical signs

Answer 16

Pyrexia, lethargic, prostrate
Skin erythema, anorexic
Severe cough sneezing, dyspnoea
Conjunctivitis
Recovery equally rapid (5 days)
Pregnant sows may abort

Question 17

SIV - diagnosis

Answer 17

Clinical signs
Serology
Virus isolation
Lung lesions help – clear demarcation of lesions in
cranial and middle lobes, interstitial pneumonia

Question 18

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS)

Answer 18

Arterivirus
Virus replicates in and destroys macrophages and
endothelial cells → vasculitis
mummified, stillborn or live piglets

Question 19

PRRS - clinical signs

Answer 19

weaned pigs, tachypnoea, thumping, eyelid oedema and conjunctivitis

Question 20

PRRS - diagnosis

Answer 20

clinical signs
Gross pathology - moderate to severe interstitial pneumonia
Virus isolation
Serology

Question 21

PRRS - control methods

Answer 21

Vaccination
Stabilise infection
Eradication
Depop-repop

Question 22

depop-repop method

Answer 22

Infection transmits up to 3km
Purchase uninfected stock and quarantine / test at isolation.
Purchase uninfected semen

Question 23

stabilise infection method

Answer 23

Expose gilts / vaccinate prior to breeding.

Stream grower pigs in separate airspaces

Question 24

PCV-2/PMWS

Answer 24

PCV-2 associated disease – respiratory component is 
very important
Immunosuppressive
90% UK pigs seropositive
Involved in many disease syndromes

Question 25

Porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV) - Clinical signs

Answer 25

Coughing - In growers and finishers (endemic), Across all age groups (epizootic)
Absence of other causes
Contributes to multifactorial pneumonia
Indicates biosecurity issue on high health herd

Question 26

glassers disease - clinical signs - sows

Answer 26

rarely seen

Question 27

glassers disease - clinical signs - gilts

Answer 27

Lameness / stiffness.
Slight swellings over the joints and tendons.
Meningitis rarely.

Question 28

glassers disease - clinical signs - Piglets - Acute

Answer 28

Rapidly depressed.
Elevated temperature.
Inappetence .
Reluctant to rise.
Characteristic feature a short cough of 2-3 episodes.
Sudden death in good sucking piglets is not uncommon.
arthritis and lameness

Question 29

glassers disease - clinical signs - piglets - chronic

Answer 29

Pale and poor growing pigs.

Sudden deaths may occur.

Question 30

glassers disease - clinical signs - Weaners & Growers

Answer 30

rapidly depressed or may be just found dead.
Elevated temperature.
Stop eating.
Reluctant to rise.
Fever.
Nervous signs - fits and convulsions including meningitis.
Poor pigs, wasting, hairy often result.

Question 31

glassers disease - clinical signs - young growing pigs

Answer 31

Fever.
Mild meningitis.
Arthritis.
Lameness.
Pneumonia.
Heart sac infection.
Peritonitis and pleurisy.
short cough of only 2-3 episodes.

Question 32

parasites

Answer 32

Metastrongylus - earth worm as intermediate host

Ascaris suum - larval migration through lungs

Question 33

vaccination

Answer 33

Dams to confer immunity to young pigs (AR)
Young/weaner pigs (M hyo)
In quarantine/before entry to herd

Question 34

depopulation

Answer 34

Full or partial
Expensive
Uncontrollable disease + cost of disease is unacceptable
Thorough cleaning and down time
Last resort
Location of other pig farms etc

Question 35

partial depopulation

Answer 35

Remove all pigs excluding lactating sows (medicate
sows)
Wean to offsite location for 12 week period
Rest and disinfect weaner and grower accommodation

Question 36

quarantine

Answer 36

Prevent entry of new disease
Acclimatise new animals to diseases on the unit
Sentinel animals
Intake animals of similar health status
Attend animals at end of work day
Off site AI AO
Clinical observations and serology
Use cull sows plus faeces 10:1
Do not use severely ill animals