Suckling Period Diseases- Piglets

Question 1

A farmer calls you concerned about his litter of 3 day old piglets who have creamy diarrhea, some piglet’s diarrhea is orange stained. What do you suspect?

Answer 1

• Clostridium dificile associated enterotoxemia
• multifocal suppurative and erosive colitis
• dx: ELISA of fresh feces
• Tx: Virginamycin for sows?, Tylosin in piglets

Question 2

You have gone out and collected PM sample from the intestines of 2 day old piglets with diarrhea. You see on microscopy a mild multifocal suppurative enteritis and large gram-positive rods. How do you confirm your diagnosis?

Answer 2

• this is most likely Clostridium perfringens Type A associated diarrhea, confirm dx by isolation and genotyping of enterotoxigenic C perfringens type A
• tx: bacitracin in sows and piglets, Salinomycin, vaccination

Question 3

You are called by an extremely distraught farmer, he tells you that he has had multiple litters of pigs that have been shivering, cold, and have watery diarrhea. He wants to know how to save his piglets, and what he can do to prevent this.

Answer 3

• low body temp and shivering- think E.Coli (Enteric colibacillosis), may also cause fibrinous polyserositis
• to dx: culture uniform population of E.coli from small intestine or identify E. coli enterotoxins or pili on PCR
• to help the farmer control: he needs good sanitation, all in/all out, sow vaccination against virulence factors twice before farrowing
• risk factors: continuous farrowing, poor sanitation and chilling, can be transmitted by dam or can survive in contaminated buildings to infect successive litters of piglets

Question 4

A farmer has just weaned his piglets, and is concerned because a number of them have been suddenly dying, but before, exhibiting edema and neurological signs such as ataxia, stupor, paddling/running, squealing(he didn’t say it that way you just interpreted to your doctor words). Dx?

Answer 4

• Edema Disease (colibacillosis)

- caused by E.coli

Question 5

You go out to a farm to look at a one and a half week old litter of nursing piglets with diarrhea, they were born in a farrowing pen, and then lived in a small barn with their mother. You notice yellow to clear watery diarrhea, they appear dehydrated, have a rough hair coat, and the farmer reports they aren’t gaining weight. Dx?

Answer 5

• Coccidiosis (Isospora suis)
• transmission: unexposed piglets placed in contaminated environments, carrier sows, oocysts that piglets ingest
• tx: no response to antimicrobials, need to provide good sanitation and disinfection of farrowing pens

Question 6

About a week after weaning piglets are having diarrhea and some vomiting that appears to resolve on it’s own. What do you suspect?

Answer 6

• Rotavirus enteritis
• microscopy: variable enteritis with moderate villous atrophy
• usually non-fatal and self limiting
• dx: ID in feces in early cases by EM or ELISA, in small intestine epithelium by FAT or IHC

Question 7

You are called out to a farm because the farmer has observed his 2 week old piglets are vomiting and then dying rapidly. In his one month old piglets he’s noticed bright yellow feces, some of the sows are vomiting, off on their own, and refuse to nurse their piglets. What do you suspect?

Answer 7

• Transmissible gastroenteritis

- dx: FAT or IHC of intestine of acutely affected pigs, PCR of feces

Question 8

A group of fiesty nursing piglets present with CNS signs and swollen joints. You notice wounds from fighting with their litter mates. What do you suspect?

Answer 8

-Streptococcus suis

• zoonotic disease that survives in dust and feces and is ingested/inhaled by pigs
• young piglets show CNS signs and swollen joints
• older pigs: ataxia, opisthotonus, incoordination, tremors, convulsions, blindness, deafness
• isolated from nasal cavity and palatine tonsils of normal pigs, feces and nasal secretions of carrier sows
• dx of streptococcal meningitis: spinal fluid
• tx: antibiotics, in feed in high morbidity situations, vax ineffective, may need to cull

Question 9

A farmer calls after noticing that his 3 day old piglets have wounds on their claws and knees and their tails are falling off. What do you suspect?

Answer 9

• Hypogalactia or Mastitis, Metritis, Agalactia
• usually occurs within 3 days of farrowing, inadequate milk production
• sow: hypogalactia, mastitis, fever, vaginal discharge, listlessness, weakness, anorexia, sternal recumbency, refusal to permit nursing by piglets
• piglets: claw and knee lesions and tail necrosis
• risk factors: lack of nursing stimulation, bacterial metritis, mastitis, mammary edema
• tx: ensure proper sanitation, sow’s exercise, BCS

Question 10

A group of 6 week old piglets with raised, red, non-pruritic lesions on the ventral abdomen.

Answer 10

• Pityriasis rosea
• dermatitis in 4-12 week old piglets
• no apparent effect on health or growth rate
• doesn’t require treatment

Question 11

Neonatal piglets with lateral extension of hind legs, inability adduct legs, may be involvement of front legs.

Answer 11

• “Spay leg”
• myofibriallar hypoplasia of affected muscles
• related in part to delayed development, in part to degenerative change
• risk factors: genetic, slippery/sloped floors, porcine stress syndrome in parents, dietary deficiency, low birth weight, tremors
• tx:may recover with nursing care in 1-2 weeks, can tie front or back legs together loosely, choose breeding stock

Question 12

Piglets have lesions- absence of areas of skin- usually over back, loin, or thigh.

Answer 12

• Epitheliogenesis imperfecta
• inherited condition
• occasionally lesions on tongue
• commonly with hydrometer and hydronephrosis
• if extensive lesions, may be aborted, if born with extensive lesions usually die from infection, minor defects heal