Articles

Farm data analysis for lifetime performance components of sows and their predictors in breeding herds

Our objectives in this review are 1) to define the four components of sow lifetime performance, 2) to organize the four components and other key measures in a lifetime performance tree, and 3) to compile infor...

Authors: Yuzo Koketsu and Ryosuke Iida

Implementation and evaluation of different eradication strategies for Brachyspira hyodysenteriae

Brachyspira infections are causing major losses to the pig industry and lead to high antimicrobial use. Treatment of Brachyspira (B.) hyodysenteriae infections may be problematic due to the high level of antimicr...

Authors: Willem Neirynck, Filip Boyen, Ilias Chantziaras, Tamara Vandersmissen, Philip Vyt, Freddy Haesebrouck, Jeroen Dewulf and Dominiek Maes

Objective pathogen monitoring in nursery and finisher pigs by monthly laboratory diagnostic testing

Infectious diseases are of great economic importance in commercial pig production, causing both clinical and subclinical disease, with influence on welfare, productivity, and antibiotic use. The causes of thes...

Authors: Nicole B. Goecke, Maja Kobberø, Thomas K. Kusk, Charlotte K. Hjulsager, Ken Steen Pedersen, Charlotte S. Kristensen and Lars E. Larsen

Herd-level risk factors for chronic pleurisy in finishing pigs: a case-control study

Chronic pleurisy is a common finding in slaughtered pigs in post-mortem meat inspection. The prevalence of pleurisy has been increasing during the last decade also in Finland. The aim of this prospective case-...

Authors: Outi Hälli, Minna Haimi-Hakala, Claudio Oliviero and Mari Heinonen

Modelling infectious viral diseases in swine populations: a state of the art

Mathematical modelling is nowadays a pivotal tool for infectious diseases studies, completing regular biological investigations. The rapid growth of computer technology allowed for development of computational...

Authors: M. Andraud and N. Rose

Application of the voluntary human approach test on commercial pig fattening farms: a meaningful tool?

A Voluntary Human Approach Test (VHAT) was performed in pig pens, and relationships between environmental conditions and welfare indicators were investigated. Five variables were measured in 1668 pens in 214 f...

Authors: Birte Wegner, Ines Spiekermeier, Hendrik Nienhoff, Julia Große-Kleimann, Karl Rohn, Henning Meyer, Heiko Plate, Hubert Gerhardy, Lothar Kreienbrock, Elisabeth Grosse Beilage and Nicole Kemper

Thrombocytopenic purpura on an organic farm with pen mating: a case report on the re-emergence of an old disease

Thrombocytopenia is an immune-mediated disease, which affects suckling piglets. Piglets are pale and inactive, show multiple hemorrhages and often die within days. Pathological examination reveals severe haemo...

Authors: Sara Joller, Irene M. Häfliger, Cord Drögemüller, Olivia K. Richard and Alexander Grahofer

Biosafety steps in the manufacturing process of spray-dried plasma: a review with emphasis on the use of ultraviolet irradiation as a redundant biosafety procedure

Spray dried plasma (SDP) is a functional protein source obtained from blood of healthy animals, approved by the veterinary authorities from animals declared to be fit for slaughter for human consumption. Blood...

Authors: Elena Blázquez, Carmen Rodríguez, Jesús Ródenas, Joaquim Segalés, Joan Pujols and Javier Polo

Major swine viral diseases: an Asian perspective after the African swine fever introduction

Asia is a major pig producer of the world, and at present, African swine fever virus (ASFV) continues to significantly impact the Asian pig industry. Since more than 50% of the world’s pig population is in Asi...

Authors: Roongtham Kedkovid, Chaitawat Sirisereewan and Roongroje Thanawongnuwech

African swine fever vaccines: a promising work still in progress

African swine fever (ASF), a disease of obligatory declaration to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), has contributed to poverty and underdevelopment of affected areas. The presence of ASF has been...

Authors: Laia Bosch-Camós, Elisabeth López and Fernando Rodriguez

Frequency of infection with Mycoplasma suis in gestating sows using qPCR on ten commercial French herds, and impact of the infection on clinical, haematological and biochemical parameters

Authors: Mathieu Brissonnier, Valérie Normand, Arnaud Lebret, Pierre-Yves Moalic, Anne-Sophie Guyomard, Véronique Bachy, Pauline Berton, Vincent Auvigne, Franck Bouchet and Gwenaël Boulbria

Fibre supply for breeding sows and its effects on social behaviour in group-housed sows and performance during lactation

Fibre sources as feed components with specific physical characteristics like a high swelling capacity (SC), viscosity and water-binding capacity (WBC) have been discussed to affect sow behaviour and to have lo...

Authors: Miriam Priester, Christian Visscher, Michaela Fels, Karl Rohn and Georg Dusel

Effect of flavophospholipol on fecal microbiota in weaned pigs challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium

The heightened prevalence of Salmonella Typhimurium remains a public health and food safety concern. Studies have reported antibiotic, flavophospholipol, may have the ability to reduce Salmonella in swine, as wel...

Authors: Saranya Nair, Abdolvahab Farzan, J. Scott Weese, Zvonimir Poljak and Robert M. Friendship

A critical review speculating on the protective efficacies of autogenous Streptococcus suis bacterins as used in Europe

Streptococcus (S.) suis is a major porcine pathogen causing high morbidity worldwide. This includes well-managed herds with high hygiene standards. In Europe, no licensed vaccine is available. As practitioners ar...

Authors: Karoline Rieckmann, Sophia-Mareike Pendzialek, Thomas Vahlenkamp and Christoph G. Baums

Comparison of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and porcine circovirus 2 commercial vaccines efficacy when applied separate or combined under experimental conditions

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhyo) and Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV-2) are two of the most significant infectious agents causing economic losses in the weaning to slaughter period. Due to their similar vaccination age,...

Authors: M. Sibila, G. Guevara, R. Cuadrado, P. Pleguezuelos, D. Pérez, A. Pérez de Rozas, E. Huerta, A. Llorens, O. Valero, M. Pérez, C. López, R. Krejci and J. Segalés

Identification of two divergent swine Noroviruses detected at the slaughterhouse in North East Italy

Norovirus (NoV) has emerged as one of the major causative agents of non-bacterial, food- and water-borne gastroenteritis in humans, with the main genogroup involved in human outbreaks (GII), which has been det...

Authors: Andrea Laconi, Lara Cavicchio, Luca Tassoni, Giovanni Cunial, Adelaide Milani, Martina Ustulin, Guido Di Martino, Mario Forzan, Mery Campalto, Isabella Monne and Maria Serena Beato

Data from routine meat inspection is a poor indicator of the prevalence of tail lesions in undocked pigs

We investigated the prevalence of tail lesions in batches of undocked slaughter pigs in herds just before delivery to an abattoir. At the abattoir, dehaired and scalded carcasses were submitted to routine meat...

Authors: Hanne Kongsted, Leslie Foldager and Jan Tind Sørensen

Antimicrobial resistance profile and prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL), AmpC beta-lactamases and colistin resistance (mcr) genes in Escherichia coli from swine between 1999 and 2018

The frequent usage of antibiotics in livestock has led to the spread of resistant bacteria within animals and their products, with a global warning in public health and veterinarians to monitor such resistance...

Authors: Laia Aguirre, Anna Vidal, Chiara Seminati, Montse Tello, Noelia Redondo, Laila Darwich and Marga Martín

Status and gaps of research on respiratory disease pathogens of swine in Africa

Over the last two decades, the pig population in Africa has grown rapidly, reflecting the increased adoption of pig production as an important economic activity. Of all species, pigs are likely to constitute a...

Authors: P. Oba, B. Wieland, F. N. Mwiine, J. Erume, E. Gertzell, M. Jacobson and M. M. Dione

Effectiveness of alternative measures to reduce antimicrobial usage in pig production in four European countries

The reduction of antimicrobial usage (AMU) is in the focus in modern pig production. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of alternatives to reduce AMU at herd level. In a prospective st...

Authors: Svenja Raasch, Lucie Collineau, Merel Postma, Annette Backhans, Marie Sjölund, Catherine Belloc, Ulf Emanuelson, Elisabeth grosse Beilage, Katharina Stärk and Jeroen Dewulf

Comparison of qPCR and blood smear microscopy for the diagnosis of Mycoplasma suis in a French veterinary practice

Mycoplasma suis (M. suis) is an haemotropic Mycoplasma that adheres and invades erythrocytes and is responsible for infectious anaemia of pigs. Infections with M. suis have been reported worldwide. Clinical signs...

Authors: Valérie Normand, Gwenaël Boulbria, Mathieu Brissonnier, Véronique Bachy, Pierre-Yves Moalic, Pauline Berton, Franck Bouchet and Arnaud Lebret

Increased age at first-mating interacting with herd size or herd productivity decreases longevity and lifetime reproductive efficiency of sows in breeding herds

Our objectives were to characterize sow life and herd-life performance and examine two-way interactions between age at first-mating (AFM) and either herd size or herd productivity groups for the performance of...

Authors: Yuzo Koketsu, Ryosuke Iida and Carlos Piñeiro

Reproductive performance of pandemic influenza A virus infected sow herds before and after implementation of a vaccine against the influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus

Reproductive failure in sow herds due to infection with influenza A viruses has been described in the literature, but only a few studies have focused on the pathogenesis and the clinical signs of the infection...

Authors: Sophie Gumbert, Sebastian Froehlich, Anna Rieger, Julia Stadler, Mathias Ritzmann and Susanne Zoels

Evaluation of a zinc chelate on clinical swine dysentery under field conditions

Brachyspira hyodysenteriae is the primary cause of swine dysentery, characterized by bloody to mucoid diarrhea due to mucohaemorhagic colitis in pigs and primarily affects pigs during the grow/finishing stage. Co...

Authors: Frédéric Vangroenweghe, Liesbeth Allais, Ellen Van Driessche, Robbert van Berkel, Gerwen Lammers and Olivier Thas

Antimicrobial activity of a selection of organic acids, their salts and essential oils against swine enteropathogenic bacteria

Accurate screening of new alternative antimicrobial compounds is essential for their use to control pathogens in swine production due to the replacement of antibiotics and zinc oxide. Most in vitro studies hav...

Authors: Manuel Gómez-García, Cinta Sol, Pedro J. G. de Nova, Mónica Puyalto, Luis Mesas, Héctor Puente, Óscar Mencía-Ares, Rubén Miranda, Héctor Argüello, Pedro Rubio and Ana Carvajal

Prevalence of Lawsonia intracellularis in pig herds in different European countries

Lawsonia intracellularis causes large economic losses in the pig industry worldwide. Pigs suffer from reduced daily weight gain, poor feed conversion ratio and increased mortality. The number of affected animals ...

Authors: Mirjam Arnold, Annelies Crienen, Hanny Swam, Stephan von Berg, Rika Jolie and Heiko Nathues

Irish pig farmer’s perceptions and experiences of tail and ear biting

Abnormal behaviours such as ear and tail biting of pigs is of significant welfare and economic concern. Currently, pig welfare legislation is under renewed focus by the EU commission and is likely to be enforc...

Authors: Amy Haigh and Keelin O’Driscoll

Detection of Salmonella-specific antibody in swine oral fluids

Salmonella is a leading cause of bacterial foodborne-related illness and pork products are a food-associated source. With > 50% of U.S. swine herds testing positive for Salmonella, asymptomatic carrier pigs that ...

Authors: Briony M. Atkinson, Bradley L. Bearson, Crystal L. Loving, Jeffrey J. Zimmerman, Jalusa D. Kich and Shawn M. D. Bearson

Field evaluation of the safety and compatibility of a combined vaccine against porcine parvovirus 1 and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in breeding animals

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine parvovirus 1 (PPV1) are two common causes of reproductive failure. ReproCyc® ParvoFLEX is a novel subunit vaccine based on the protective...

Authors: Beatriz Garcia-Morante, Marta Noguera, Christian Kraft and Philip Bridger

Implementation of PRRSV status classification system in swine breeding herds from a large integrated group in Spain

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is an endemic swine disease causing significant productive and economic losses. Knowledge of PRRS epidemiology is crucial to develop control strategies agai...

Authors: D. Torrents, J. Miranda, R. Pedrazuela, P. C. Gauger, A. Ramirez and D. C. L. Linhares

First identification and characterisation of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae in pigs in Hong Kong

Swine dysentery (SD) is an important endemic disease of pigs throughout the world. The most common aetiological agent is the anaerobic intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. The related spirochaete Br...

Authors: Kittitat Lugsomya, Friederike Zeeh, Tom La, Nyree Phillips and David J. Hampson

Pathological findings in spontaneously dead and euthanized sows – a descriptive study

A high rate of euthanized and spontaneously dead sows causes production losses and likely indicates underlying welfare problems. Identification of predisposing factors to on-farm deaths requires a thorough und...

Authors: Eve Ala-Kurikka, Camilla Munsterhjelm, Paula Bergman, Taina Laine, Henna Pekkarinen, Olli Peltoniemi, Anna Valros and Mari Heinonen

Unusual acute neonatal mortality and sow agalactia linked with ergot alkaloid contamination of feed

An increase in the occurrence of ergot alkaloid contamination has been observed in Europe in recent years. The typical clinical signs of pig ergot poisoning are impaired growth, agalactia and, sometimes, gangr...

Authors: Agnès Waret-Szkuta, Laurent Larraillet, Isabelle P. Oswald, Xavier Legrand, Philippe Guerre and Guy-Pierre Martineau

Cross-sectional study of seropositivity, lung lesions and associated risk factors of the main pathogens of Porcine Respiratory Diseases Complex (PRDC) in Goiás, Brazil

The objective of the study was to evaluate the occurrence and severity of Porcine Respiratory Diseases Complex (PRDC) pathogens in the Goiás State, Brazil. Were assessed the serological antibodies occurrency of M...

Authors: José Vanderlei Burim Galdeano, Thaís Gasparini Baraldi, Maria Eugênia Silveira Ferraz, Henrique Meiroz de Souza Almeida, Marina Lopes Mechler-Dreibi, Willian Marcos Teixeira Costa, Hélio José Montassier, Luis Antonio Mathias and Luís Guilherme de Oliveira

Blood-glucose levels in newborn piglets and the associations between blood-glucose levels, intrauterine growth restriction and pre-weaning mortality

The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between blood-glucose levels in one-day-old-piglets (ODOP), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and pre-weaning mortality in a commercial piglet-pro...

Authors: Trude Staarvik, Tore Framstad, Mina Heggelund, Sunniva Brynjulvsrud Fremgaarden and Camilla Kielland

Effect of Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV-2) maternally derived antibodies on performance and PCV-2 viremia in vaccinated piglets under field conditions

Nowadays, the most common presentation of PCV-2 is the subclinical infection in piglets after weaning. The success of PCV-2 vaccination is associated with the control of the clinical disease as well as the imp...

Authors: S. Figueras-Gourgues, L. Fraile, J. Segalés, I. Hernández-Caravaca, R. López-Úbeda, F. A. García-Vázquez, O. Gomez-Duran and B. Grosse-Liesner

A descriptive report of the selenium distribution in tissues from pigs with mulberry heart disease (MHD)

Mulberry Heart Disease (MHD) is a condition affecting mainly young pigs in excellent body condition. Feed efficient pigs showing high average daily gains are more likely to be affected. MHD has been described ...

Authors: Marianne Oropeza-Moe, Michaela Falk, Marie Vollset, Helene Wisløff, Aksel Bernhoft, Tore Framstad and Brit Salbu

Vaccination against Clostridium perfringens type C enteritis in pigs: a field study using an adapted vaccination scheme

Clostridium perfringens type C induced necrotizing enteritis (NE) causes high mortality in newborn piglets. Immunization programs employing commercially available vaccines are used to prevent disease. Sows are va...

Authors: Olivia K. Richard, Alexander Grahofer, Heiko Nathues and Horst Posthaus

Use of processing fluid samples for longitudinal monitoring of PRRS virus in herds undergoing virus elimination

This was an observational study that prospectively followed 29 breeding herds for 65 weeks in the U.S.A. that became infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv). The herds operate...

Authors: Giovani Trevisan, Eva Jablonski, Jose Angulo, Will A. Lopez and Daniel C. L. Linhares

Ear, tail and skin lesions vary according to different production flows in a farrow-to-finish pig farm

Pig performance and risk of disease are associated with production flow. Given the link between health and welfare, it is likely that animal welfare indicators are also associated with production flow. This st...

Authors: Alessia Diana, Laura Ann Boyle, Edgar García Manzanilla, Finola Catherine Leonard and Julia Adriana Calderón Díaz

How effective are clinical pre-farrowing risk assessment and the use of soft rubber mats in preventing shoulder ulcers in at-risk sows?

Lameness, low BCS and scar tissue in the skin covering the tuber spina scapulae are known as risk factors for shoulder ulcer in sows. In a two-step study, the predictive ability of pre-farrowing clinical exami...

Authors: Daniel Meyer, Charlotte Vogel, Lothar Kreienbrock and Elisabeth große Beilage

Recurrence patterns and lifetime performance of parity 1 sows in breeding herds with different weaning-to-first-mating intervals

Our objectives were 1) to compare reproductive performance across parities and lifetime performance of parity 1 sows in six weaning-to-first-mating interval groups (WMI 0–3, 4, 5, 6, 7–20 and 21 days or more),...

Authors: Yu Yatabe, Ryosuke Iida, Carlos Piñeiro and Yuzo Koketsu

Immunocrit, serum amino acid concentrations and growth performance in light and heavy piglets depending on sow’s farrowing system

The conventional farrowing crate is criticised due to the limited mobility of sows during farrowing and lactation. The present study aims to investigate the effects of three different farrowing systems on the ...

Authors: Sandra Schnier, Lea Middendorf, Heiko Janssen, Carla Brüning, Karl Rohn and Christian Visscher

Assessment of immediate production impact following attenuated PRRS type 2 virus vaccination in swine breeding herds

To mitigate production impact of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus outbreaks, it has been common to preventively vaccinate swine breeding herds using PRRS modified live virus (MLV) vac...

Authors: Cesar A. A. Moura, Clayton Johnson, Samuel R. Baker, Derald J. Holtkamp, Chong Wang and Daniel C. L. Linhares

Structural characterization of piglet producing farms and their sow removal patterns in Finland

The main objectives of this observational, cross-sectional study were to characterize piglet producing farms in Finland and to investigate how farm profiles are associated with sow culling and mortality.

Authors: Paula Bergman, Camilla Munsterhjelm, Anna-Maija Virtala, Olli Peltoniemi, Anna Valros and Mari Heinonen

Safety and long-lasting immunity of the combined administration of a modified-live virus vaccine against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus 1 and an inactivated vaccine against porcine parvovirus and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in breeding pigs

In the field, vaccination schedules based on modified-live virus (MLV) vaccines administered twice in gilts and every three to four months in sows are commonly used to immunize breeding herds against porcine repr...

Authors: Almudena Sánchez-Matamoros, Agustí Camprodon, Jaime Maldonado, Rafael Pedrazuela and Joel Miranda

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus: web-based interactive tools to support surveillance and control initiatives

Control of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) represents a tremendous challenge. The trend is now toward managing the disease collectively. In Quebec, area and regional control and eliminatio...

Authors: Marie-Ève Lambert, Pascal Audet, Benjamin Delisle, Julie Arsenault and Sylvie D’Allaire

Using the Biocheck.UGent™ scoring tool in Irish farrow-to-finish pig farms: assessing biosecurity and its relation to productive performance

Biosecurity is one of the main factors affecting disease occurrence and antimicrobial use, and it is associated with performance in pig production. However, the importance of specific measures could vary depen...

Authors: Maria Rodrigues da Costa, Josep Gasa, Julia Adriana Calderón Díaz, Merel Postma, Jeroen Dewulf, Gerard McCutcheon and Edgar Garcia Manzanilla

Phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of Escherichia coli with non-susceptibility to quinolones isolated from environmental samples on pig farms

In the last decade, the growth of the pig-farming industry has led to an increase in antibiotic use, including several used in human medicine, e.g. (fluoro)quinolones. Data from several studies suggest that th...

Authors: Patrick Kindle, Katrin Zurfluh, Magdalena Nüesch-Inderbinen, Sereina von Ah, Xaver Sidler, Roger Stephan and Dolf Kümmerlen

Monitoring PRRSV-1 in suckling piglets in an endemic herd using reverse transcriptase quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction: comparison of the rate of detection in serum and oral fluid samples and evaluation of pooling

Defining shedding and exposure status for PRRSV is essential in herd stabilisation protocols and weaning-age pigs is a key subpopulation. Oral fluid (OF) sampling is a welfare-friendly and cost saving promisin...

Authors: Arnaud Lebret, Gwenaël Boulbria, Pauline Berton, Pierre-Yves Moalic, Jean Le Guennec, Franck Bouchet, Vincent Auvigne and Valérie Normand