Articles

Characteristics and risk factors for severe repeat-breeder female pigs and their lifetime performance in commercial breeding herds

Repeat-breeder females increase non-productive days (NPD) and decrease herd productivity and profitability. The objectives of the present study were 1) to define severe repeat-breeder (SRB) females in commerci...

Authors: Satomi Tani, Carlos Piñeiro and Yuzo Koketsu

Evaluation of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome stabilization protocols in 23 French Farrow-to-finish farms located in a high-density swine area

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is responsible for reproductive disorders in sows and respiratory problems in pigs, and has a major economic impact. Controlling PRRSV is therefore a...

Authors: Pauline Berton, Valérie Normand, Guy-Pierre Martineau, Franck Bouchet, Arnaud Lebret and Agnès Waret-Szkuta

Randomised controlled field study to evaluate the efficacy and clinical safety of a single 8 mg/kg injectable dose of marbofloxacin compared with one or two doses of 7.5 mg/kg injectable enrofloxacin for the treatment of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infections in growing-fattening pigs in Europe

Acute outbreaks of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) require rapid, effective, parenteral antimicrobial treatment. The efficacy and safety of a single, short-acting, high dose of marbofloxacin (Forcyl® swine ...

Authors: Erik Grandemange, Pierre-Alexandre Perrin, Dejean Cvejic, Miriam Haas, Tim Rowan and Klaus Hellmann

The use of oral fluids to monitor key pathogens in porcine respiratory disease complex

The usefulness of oral fluid (OF) sampling for surveillance of infections in pig populations is already accepted but its value as a tool to support investigations of porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) ...

Authors: Juan Hernandez-Garcia, Nardy Robben, Damien Magnée, Thomas Eley, Ian Dennis, Sara M. Kayes, Jill R. Thomson and Alexander W. Tucker

Effect of the needle-free “intra dermal application of liquids” vaccination on the welfare of pregnant sows

In commercial pig production, sows are often vaccinated several times per gestation period, resulting in reduced welfare. This preliminary experiment investigated whether the needle-free IDAL vaccinator improv...

Authors: Déborah Temple, Damián Escribano, Marta Jiménez, Eva Mainau, José J. Cerón and Xavier Manteca

Provision of straw by a foraging tower –effect on tail biting in weaners and fattening pigs

Straw is one of the most effective rooting materials to reduce tail biting in pigs. A so-called foraging-tower (FT) provides only small quantities of straw compatible with liquid manure systems. The focus of t...

Authors: Carolin Holling, Elisabeth grosse Beilage, Beatriz Vidondo and Christina Nathues

Effect of a GnRH analogue (peforelin) on the litter performance of gilts and sows

Maintaining optimal reproductive and litter performance is essential for meeting economic targets in commercial pig production. Treatment with exogenous gonadotropins in sows after weaning or in gilts after al...

Authors: Ellen de Jong, Jan Jourquin, Johannes Kauffold, Steven Sarrazin, Jeroen Dewulf and Dominiek Maes

The use of vaccines to control pathogen spread in pig populations

Vaccine efficacy has often been studied from the viewpoint of individual direct clinical protection. For several vaccines, a decrease in pathogen shedding in vaccinated animals has also been documented, which ...

Authors: Nicolas Rose and Mathieu Andraud

The effect of double nursing, an alternative nursing strategy for the hyper-prolific sow herd, on herd performance

Hyper-prolific sows produce more piglets than they can suckle, as the number of milk producing teats of the sow is lower (twelve to sixteen) than the number of live born piglets per litter. Farmers and farm wo...

Authors: Manon A. M. Houben, Tijs J. Tobias and Manon M. C. Holstege

Field efficacy of Porcilis® PCV M Hyo versus a licensed commercially available vaccine and placebo in the prevention of PRDC in pigs on a French farm: a randomized controlled trial

A controlled, randomised, and blinded trial performed on a conventional French farrow-to-finish farm compared the efficacy of a one-shot bivalent ready to use vaccine, Porcilis® PCV M. Hyo (group PCVM), to tha...

Authors: Eric Pagot, Martial Rigaut, David Roudaut, Luca Panzavolta, Rika Jolie and Didier Duivon

Feed additives decrease survival of delta coronavirus in nursery pig diets

Feed contaminated with feces from infected pigs is believed to be a potential route of transmission of porcine delta coronavirus (PDCoV). The objective of this study was to determine if the addition of commerc...

Authors: Katie M. Cottingim, Harsha Verma, Pedro E. Urriola, Fernando Sampedro, Gerald C. Shurson and Sagar M. Goyal

Factors for improving reproductive performance of sows and herd productivity in commercial breeding herds

We review critical factors associated with reproductive performance of female breeding pigs, their lifetime performance and herd productivity in commercial herds. The factors include both sow-level and herd-le...

Authors: Yuzo Koketsu, Satomi Tani and Ryosuke Iida

Pig castration: will the EU manage to ban pig castration by 2018?

In 2010, the ‘European Declaration on alternatives to surgical castration of pigs’ was agreed. The Declaration stipulates that from January 1, 2012, surgical castration of pigs shall only be performed with pro...

Authors: Nancy De Briyne, Charlotte Berg, Thomas Blaha and Déborah Temple

Vaccination against parasites – status quo and the way forward

Although vaccination against various pathogens is integral to health management of swine, vaccines against parasites have not yet been commercialized for the use in pigs. The incentive to develop and commercia...

Authors: Anja Joachim

Genetic resistance - an alternative for controlling PRRS?

PRRS is one of the most challenging diseases for world-wide pig production. Attempts for a sustainable control of this scourge by vaccination have not yet fully satisfied. With an increasing knowledge and meth...

Authors: Gerald Reiner

Emergence of a virulent porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) 1 strain in Lower Austria

In spring 2015, an outbreak of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) struck Lower Austria caused by a PRRS virus (PRRSV) strain spreading rapidly among both previously PRRSV negative and vaccina...

Authors: Leonie J Sinn, Eva Klingler, Benjamin Lamp, Rene Brunthaler, Herbert Weissenböck, Till Rümenapf and Andrea Ladinig

Implementing drinking water feed additive strategies in post-weaning piglets, antibiotic reduction and performance impacts: case study

Piglets at weaning suffer many stressors such as sudden change of feed, change in group composition and the end of lactogenic immunity. These stressors may cause poor growth performance. There is a need for al...

Authors: Juan Antonio Mesonero Escuredo, Yvonne van der Horst, John Carr and Dominiek Maes

Comparison of the antimicrobial consumption in weaning pigs in Danish sow herds with different vaccine purchase patterns during 2013

There is growing concern about development of antimicrobial resistance due to use of antimicrobials (AMs) in livestock production. Identifying efficient alternatives, including vaccination, is a priority. The ...

Authors: Carolina Temtem, Amanda Brinch Kruse, Liza Rosenbaum Nielsen, Ken Steen Pedersen and Lis Alban

Production results from piglets vaccinated in a field study in Spain with a Type 1 Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive virus modified live vaccine

PRRS is a viral disease of pigs and sows that is one of the most costly to the pig industry worldwide. The disease can be controlled by focusing on different aspects. One of them is the vaccination of piglets,...

Authors: Guillermo Cano, Marcia Oliveira Cavalcanti, Francois-Xavier Orveillon, Jeremy Kroll, Oliver Gomez-Duran, Alberto Morillo and Christian Kraft

Impact of two mycotoxins deoxynivalenol and fumonisin on pig intestinal health

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi that grow on a variety of substrates. Due to their high consumption of cereals and their sensitivity, pigs are highly impacted by the presence of mycotoxins. At th...

Authors: Alix Pierron, Imourana Alassane-Kpembi and Isabelle P. Oswald

Partial substitution, with their chelated complexes, of the inorganic zinc, copper and manganese in sow diets reduced the laminitic lesions in the claws and improved the morphometric characteristics of the hoof horn of sows from three Greek herds

Hoof lesions in sows have been associated with lameness and poor hoof horn quality. The mechanical strength and quality of hoof horn is determined by the density and diameter of horn tubules, which were recent...

Authors: Nikoleta Varagka, Marina Lisgara, Vassilis Skampardonis, Vassilis Psychas and Leonidas Leontides

Prevalence of virulence factors in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from pigs with post-weaning diarrhoea in Europe

Post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD), due to Escherichia coli, is an important cause of economic losses to the pig industry primarily as a result of mortality and worsened productive performance. In spite of its relevanc...

Authors: Andrea Luppi, Mariavittoria Gibellini, Thomas Gin, Frédéric Vangroenweghe, Virginie Vandenbroucke, Rolf Bauerfeind, Paolo Bonilauri, Geoffrey Labarque and Álvaro Hidalgo

Vaccination of piglets at 2 and 3 weeks of age with Ingelvac PRRSFLEX® EU provides protection against heterologous field challenge in the face of homologous maternally derived antibodies

Due to difficulties in eradicating porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) linked to biosecurity challenges, transmission of the virus and the lack of efficient DIVA vaccines, successful control o...

Authors: Gyula Balka, Karla Dreckmann, György Papp and Christian Kraft

Clinical problems due to encephalomyocarditis virus infections in two pig herds

Infections with encephalomyocarditis virus may cause myocarditis and sudden death in young pigs and reproduction disorders in sows. The presence of encephalomyocarditis virus infected rodents is considered a m...

Authors: Klaas Vansteenkiste, Tommy Van Limbergen, Ruben Decaluwé, Marylène Tignon, Brigitte Cay and Dominiek Maes

Antimicrobial use in Swedish farrow-to-finish pig herds is related to farmer characteristics

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing problem and reducing AM use is critical in limiting its severity. The underlying causes of antimicrobial use at pig farm level must be understood to select effective r...

Authors: Annette Backhans, Marie Sjölund, Ann Lindberg and Ulf Emanuelson

Spray dried plasma as an alternative to antibiotics in piglet feeds, mode of action and biosafety

The use of growth promoting and therapeutic antibiotics in piglet feed has been a concerning subject over the last few decades because of the risk of generating antimicrobial resistance that could be transferr...

Authors: Anna Pérez-Bosque, Javier Polo and David Torrallardona

Impact of group housing of pregnant sows on health

Group housing of sows during gestation is mandatory in the EU since 2013. Compared to housing in individual crates, group housing allows the animals to express normal activity and behavior. The present paper d...

Authors: Dominiek Maes, Liesbet Pluym and Olli Peltoniemi

Reproduction of group-housed sows

The sow is a social animal in her behavior throughout the reproductive cycle. An exception to her preference for being a part of a social group occurs one to two1–2 d days prior to farrowing, when she separate...

Authors: Olli Peltoniemi, Stefan Björkman and Dominiek Maes

A comment on the paper ‘A comparison between lesions found during meat inspection of finishing pigs raised under organic/free-range conditions and conventional indoor conditions’ by Alban et al. 2015

This is a critical comment on a paper published in Porcine Health Management in 2015, presenting a comparison between lesions from meat inspection at one abattoir on slaughter pigs classified in to two differe...

Authors: Jan Tind Sørensen

Preliminary findings on the effect of the pig appeasing pheromone in a slow releasing block on the welfare of pigs at weaning

The pig appeasing pheromone (PAP) applied in spray has shown to be effective in reducing the frequency of aggression and the stress response of young and adult pigs under experimental conditions. This prelimin...

Authors: Déborah Temple, Héloïse Barthélémy, Eva Mainau, Alessandro Cozzi, Marta Amat, Maria Eugênia Canozzi, Patrick Pageat and Xavier Manteca

Modified-live PRRSV subtype 1 vaccine UNISTRAIN^® PRRS provides a partial clinical and virological protection upon challenge with East European subtype 3 PRRSV strain Lena

Western European porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) strains cause limited and mild clinical signs whereas more virulent strains are circulating in Eastern Europe. The emergence of such...

Authors: Caroline Bonckaert, Karen van der Meulen, Isaac Rodríguez-Ballarà, Rafael Pedrazuela Sanz, Mar Fenech Martinez and Hans J. Nauwynck

Evaluation of the relationship between the biosecurity status, production parameters, herd characteristics and antimicrobial usage in farrow-to-finish pig production in four EU countries

High antimicrobial usage and the threat of antimicrobial resistance highlighted the need for reduced antimicrobial usage in pig production. Prevention of disease however, is necessary to obtain a reduced need ...

Authors: Merel Postma, Annette Backhans, Lucie Collineau, Svenja Loesken, Marie Sjölund, Catherine Belloc, Ulf Emanuelson, Elisabeth grosse Beilage, Elisabeth Okholm Nielsen, Katharina D. C. Stärk and Jeroen Dewulf

Production parameters and pig production cost: temporal evolution 2010–2014

The assessment of the cost of production and the relative weight of the different production parameters is very important in pig farming. The goals of the present work were 1) to describe reliable reference va...

Authors: J. Rocadembosch, J. Amador, J. Bernaus, J. Font and L. J. Fraile

Modelling the within-herd transmission of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in closed pig herds

A discrete time, stochastic, compartmental model simulating the spread of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae within a batch of industrially raised pigs was developed to understand infection dynamics and to assess the impac...

Authors: Heiko Nathues, Guillaume Fournie, Barbara Wieland, Dirk U. Pfeiffer and Katharina D. C. Stärk

Lameness in piglets – should pain killers be included at treatment?

Joint swelling and lameness are the most obvious and persistent clinical signs of infectious arthritis in piglets. For a positive treatment effect of piglets with arthritis, early initiated treatments with ant...

Authors: Mate Zoric, Ulla Schmidt, Anna Wallenbeck and Per Wallgren

Factors affecting the daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio of pigs in grow-finishing units: the case of a company

The aim of this study was to use mathematical modeling to identify and quantify the main factors that affect daily feed intake (DFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in grow-finishing (GF) pig units. We evaluat...

Authors: C. R. Pierozan, P. S. Agostini, J. Gasa, A. K. Novais, C. P. Dias, R. S. K. Santos, M. Pereira Jr, J. G. Nagi, J. B. Alves and C. A. Silva

Effect of diet supplementation with chelated zinc, copper and manganese on hoof lesions of loose housed sows

Hoof lesions are very common among sows and have been associated with lameness, early removal and compromised welfare and productivity. Although housing conditions and management can have an external effect on...

Authors: Μarina Lisgara, Vassilis Skampardonis and Leonidas Leontides

Risk factors for oral antimicrobial consumption in Swiss fattening pig farms – a case–control study

Antimicrobial consumption in veterinary medicine is of great importance. Increased awareness by the public and media has led to demands for decreased use of antimicrobials in pigs. This study aimed to identify...

Authors: Corinne Arnold, Gertraud Schüpbach-Regula, Patricia Hirsiger, Julia Malik, Patricia Scheer, Xaver Sidler, Peter Spring, Judith Peter-Egli and Myriam Harisberger

Influence of spray dried porcine plasma in starter diets associated with a conventional vaccination program on wean to finish performance

Conventional vaccination programs using a single injection of a combined vaccine against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (MHYO) can promote a strong immune response that reduces f...

Authors: Joan Pujols, Joaquim Segalés, Javier Polo, Carmen Rodríguez, Joy Campbell and Joe Crenshaw

Managing undocked pigs – on-farm prevention of tail biting and attitudes towards tail biting and docking

Tail biting is a common and serious welfare problem in pig production, causing large economical losses. Tail docking is performed routinely in most EU countries to reduce the tail biting risk. However, tail do...

Authors: Anna Valros, Camilla Munsterhjelm, Laura Hänninen, Tiina Kauppinen and Mari Heinonen

Novel analytic tools for the study of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv) in endemic settings: lessons learned in the U.S.

Since its emergence in the late 1980’s, the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv) has posed a significant challenge to the pig industry worldwide. Since then, a number of epidemiological ...

Authors: Julio Alvarez, Pablo Valdes-Donoso, Steven Tousignant, Mohammad Alkhamis, Robert Morrison and Andres Perez

An evaluation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue administered to gilts and sows on subsequent reproductive performance and piglet birth weight

The present study investigated the effect of peforelin (Maprelin®), a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue, administration in gilts, primiparous and pluriparous sows in a high productive farm on sow ...

Authors: Frédéric Vangroenweghe, Lieve Goossens and Jan Jourquin

African swine fever: a global view of the current challenge

African Swine Fever (ASF) is an important contagious haemorrhagic viral disease affecting swine whose notification is mandatory due to its high mortality rates and the great sanitary and socioeconomic impact i...

Authors: Ma Carmen Gallardo, Ana de la Torre Reoyo, Jovita Fernández-Pinero, Irene Iglesias, Ma Jesús Muñoz and Ma Luisa Arias

Erratum to: A novel octavalent combined Erysipelas, Parvo and Leptospira vaccine provides (cross) protection against infection following challenge of pigs with 9 different Leptospira interrogans serovars

Authors: A. Jacobs, F. Harks, M. Hoeijmakers and R. Segers

Performance of ELISAs for detection of antibodies against porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus in serum of pigs after PRRSV type 2 live vaccination and challenge

The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of different newly developed and/or commercially available ELISAs for detection of PRRSV specific antibodies. Consequently, ten PRRSV negative piglets (grou...

Authors: Tatjana Sattler, Jutta Pikalo, Eveline Wodak and Friedrich Schmoll

Probability of introducing porcine epidemic diarrhea virus into Danish pig herds by imported spray-dried porcine plasma

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has never been reported in Denmark, but it has been found in Europe, Asia and North America. Ultimately, PEDV has been associated with devastating outbreaks in pig farms....

Authors: Alessandro Foddai, Lisbeth Harm Nielsen, Vibeke Møgelmose and Lis Alban

Porcine circovirus 2 immunology and viral evolution

Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) has and is still causing important economic losses to pig industry. This is due to PCV2-systemic disease (PCV2-SD), formerly known as postweaning multi-systemi...

Authors: Tuija Kekarainen and Joaquim Segalés

A novel octavalent combined Erysipelas, Parvo and Leptospira vaccine provides (cross) protection against infection following challenge of pigs with 9 different Leptospira interrogans serovars

In the present study the efficacy and cross protection of a novel ready-to-use combination vaccine, Porcilis® Ery + Parvo + Lepto, against swine leptospirosis, was investigated. The octavalent vaccine contains...

Authors: A. Jacobs, F. Harks, M. Hoeijmakers and R. Segers

Field efficacy study of a novel ready-to-use vaccine against mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and porcine circovirus type 2 in a Greek farm

The primary objective of this study was to assess the efficacy, under field conditions, of a novel ready-to use Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M hyo) and Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) combination vaccine given to p...

Authors: Eleni D. Tzika, Panagiotis D. Tassis, Dimitrios Koulialis, Vassileios G. Papatsiros, Tom Nell, Georgia Brellou and Ioannis Tsakmakidis

Behaviour of fattening pigs fed with liquid feed and dry feed

Facilities for fattening pigs offer limited possibilities for exploration and wet feeding systems, where the pigs drink the food instead of eating it, have expanded on behalf of dry feeding systems. As little ...

Authors: Mate Zoric, Sven-Erik Johansson and Per Wallgren