Articles

Current and prospective control strategies of influenza A virus in swine

Influenza A Viruses (IAV) are endemic pathogens of significant concern in humans and multiple keystone livestock species. Widespread morbidity in swine herds negatively impacts animal welfare standards and eco...

Authors: Hamish A. Salvesen and C. Bruce A. Whitelaw

Proposed virulence-associated genes of Streptococcus suis isolates from the United States serve as predictors of pathogenicity

There is limited information on the distribution of virulence-associated genes (VAGs) in U.S. Streptococcus suis isolates, resulting in little understanding of the pathogenic potential of these isolates. This lac...

Authors: April A. Estrada, Marcelo Gottschalk, Aaron Rendahl, Stephanie Rossow, Lacey Marshall-Lund, Douglas G. Marthaler and Connie J. Gebhart

Effect of PRRSV stability on productive parameters in breeding herds of a swine large integrated group in Spain

In breeding herds, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) clinically manifests as increased abortions, number of stillbirths, and pre-weaning mortality, and as a direct consequence, results in a ...

Authors: D Torrents, J Miranda, PC Gauger, A Ramirez and DCL Linhares

Health monitoring of finishing pigs by secondary data use – a longitudinal analysis

In Germany, animal welfare has become an increasingly important issue. Since 2006, German legislation demands self-monitoring of animal welfare by farmers, but there is a lack of prescribed indicators for gove...

Authors: Julia Grosse-Kleimann, Heiko Plate, Henning Meyer, Hubert Gerhardy, Corinna Elisabeth Heucke and Lothar Kreienbrock

Association between gastric content fluidity and pars oesophageal ulcers in nursery pigs: a cross-sectional study of high-risk Danish herds using commercial feed

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess the within-herd prevalence of pars oesophageal ulcers (POU) in high-risk Danish herds using commercial diets. Furthermore, we aimed to estimate the ass...

Authors: Juan Miguel Peralvo-Vidal, Nicolai Rosager Weber, Jens Peter Nielsen, Matthew Denwood, Svend Haugegaard and Anni Øyan Pedersen

Performance and risk factors associated with first antibiotic treatment in two herds, raising pigs without antibiotics

Antibiotic (AB) consumption in production animals has a high awareness among politicians and consumers due to the risk of selection for AB resistance among potentially zoonotic bacteria. However, AB treatment ...

Authors: J. C. Lynegaard, I. Larsen, C. F. Hansen, J. P. Nielsen and C. Amdi

Impact of tearing spermatic cords during castration in live and dead piglets and consequences on welfare

Although the tearing of tissues during castration is forbidden in the EU, it is still routinely applied in many countries. The goal of this study was to evaluate vocalizations and movements of male piglets und...

Authors: Simone M. Schmid, Chiara I. Genter, Céline Heinemann and Julia Steinhoff-Wagner

Infection dynamics and persistence of hepatitis E virus on pig farms – a review

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotype 3 and 4 is a zoonosis that causes hepatitis in humans. Humans can become infected by consumption of pork or contact with pigs. Pigs are the main reservoir of the virus worldwid...

Authors: M. Meester, T. J. Tobias, M. Bouwknegt, N. E. Kusters, J. A. Stegeman and W. H. M. van der Poel

The effects of boar on susceptibility to swine inflammation and necrosis syndrome in piglets

Inflammation and necrosis can appear in pigs in several parts of the body simultaneously. The signs can affect newborns, suckling piglets and older pigs, and recent studies suggest that the syndrome is primari...

Authors: Josef Kuehling, Kathrin Eisenhofer, Mirjam Lechner, Sabrina Becker, Hermann Willems and Gerald Reiner

Genomic variability of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae within pig lung lobes

Genotypic variability in M. hyopneumoniae has been reported within and among herds. However, information regarding VNTR types within single lung lobes is lacking. The objective of his study was to analyse M. hyop...

Authors: Matteo Tonni, M. Beatrice Boniotti, Sara Gasparrini, Flavia Guarneri, Nicoletta Formenti, Maria Pieters, Paolo Pasquali and Giovanni L. Alborali

Correlation of Lawsonia intracellularis positivity in quantitative PCR and herd factors in European pig herds

Lawsonia intracellularis is causing diarrhea, poor growth and sudden death in pigs. It can be found in most pig populations leading to large economic losses worldwide. Many potential risk factors for the occurren...

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

Management practices related to the control of gastrointestinal parasites on Swedish pig farms

Internal parasites are common in pigs worldwide and may induce clinical disease or subclinical infections with negative effects such as poor weight gain and reduced welfare, which in turn affect productivity. ...

Authors: Emelie Pettersson, Marie Sjölund, Torun Wallgren, Eva Osterman Lind, Johan Höglund and Per Wallgren

Effect of spray-dried porcine plasma in peripartum sow feed on subsequent litter size

Nutritional strategies for sows designed to reduce peripartum stress are suggested to support postpartum recovery and productivity. Spray-dried plasma (SDP) in sow feed has been reported to benefit sow and lit...

Authors: Joe Crenshaw, Laura Lafoz del Río, Luis Sanjoaquin, Simon Tibble, Francesc González-Solé, David Solà-Oriol, Carmen Rodriguez, Joy Campbell and Javier Polo

Identifying challenges to manage body weight variation in pig farms implementing all-in-all-out management practices and their possible implications for animal health: a case study

Managing body weight (BW) variation is a challenge in farrow-to-finish farms implementing all-in/all-out (AIAO) production systems due to the lack of “off-site” facilities to segregate slow growing pigs (SGP)....

Authors: Maria Rodrigues da Costa, Edgar García Manzanilla, Alessia Diana, Nienke van Staaveren, Alberto Torres-Pitarch, Laura Ann Boyle and Julia Adriana Calderón Díaz

Evaluation of classical swine fever E2 (CSF-E2) subunit vaccine efficacy in the prevention of virus transmission and impact of maternal derived antibody interference in field farm applications

Classical swine fever (CSF) is one of the most devastating pig diseases that affect the swine industry worldwide. Besides stamping out policy for eradication, immunization with vaccines of live attenuated CSF ...

Authors: Jing-Yuan Chen, Chi-Ming Wu, Zeng-Weng Chen, Chih-Ming Liao, Ming-Chung Deng, Min-Yuan Chia, Chienjin Huang and Maw-Sheng Chien

Supplementation of a β-mannanase enzyme reduces post-weaning diarrhea and antibiotic use in piglets on an alternative diet with additional soybean meal

Enzyme supplementation with a β-mannanase to degrade β-mannan fibers present in the diet has been shown to restore and improve performance in swine. The current study was conducted on a farm which had historic...

Authors: Frédéric Vangroenweghe, Karl Poulsen and Olivier Thas

Effect of space allowance and mixing on growth performance and body lesions of grower-finisher pigs in pens with a single wet-dry feeder

Low space allowance (SA) and mixing may result in reduced growth performance (GP) and animal welfare issues because of adverse social behaviours directed to pen mates. This could be exacerbated in pens with si...

Authors: Jordi Camp Montoro, Laura Ann Boyle, David Solà-Oriol, Ramon Muns, Josep Gasa and Edgar Garcia Manzanilla

PRRSV detection by qPCR in processing fluids and serum samples collected in a positive stable breeding herd following mass vaccination of sows with a modified live vaccine

In the last two decades, in France, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) stabilization protocols have been implemented using mass vaccination with a modified live vaccine (MLV), herd clo...

Authors: A. Lebret, P. Berton, V. Normand, I. Messager, N. Robert, F. Bouchet, M. Brissonnier and G. Boulbria

Biosecurity in pig farms: a review

The perception of the importance of animal health and its relationship with biosecurity has increased in recent years with the emergence and re-emergence of several diseases difficult to control. This is parti...

Authors: Laura Valeria Alarcón, Alberto Allepuz and Enric Mateu

A 10-year trend in piglet pre-weaning mortality in breeding herds associated with sow herd size and number of piglets born alive

Piglet pre-weaning mortality (PWM) is one of the biggest problems regarding sow performance and piglet welfare. Recently, PWM has increased in some countries, but it is not known if there are similar increases...

Authors: Yuzo Koketsu, Ryosuke Iida and Carlos Piñeiro

Application of an economic calculator to determine the cost of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome at farm-level in 21 pig herds in Germany

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) continues to be a major economic issue for the swine industry worldwide, not only due to acute outbreaks but also endemic infections. PRRS disease se...

Authors: C. Renken, C. Nathues, H. Swam, K. Fiebig, C. Weiss, M. Eddicks, M. Ritzmann and H. Nathues

A case of eagle fern (Pteridium aquilinum) poisoning on a pig farm

Free-range pig farming represents a minor proportion of pig production in France but is attracting an increasing number of farmers because of societal expectations and the opportunity to use pasture-grazed for...

Authors: Agnès Waret-Szkuta, Laura Jégou, Marie Noelle Lucas, Nicolas Gaide, Hervé Morvan and Guy-Pierre Martineau

Future perspectives on swine viral vaccines: where are we headed?

Deliberate infection of humans with smallpox, also known as variolation, was a common practice in Asia and dates back to the fifteenth century. The world’s first human vaccination was administered in 1796 by E...

Authors: Tanja Opriessnig, Ashley A. Mattei, Anbu K. Karuppannan and Patrick G. Halbur

Lameness in fattening pigs – Mycoplasma hyosynoviae, osteochondropathy and reduced dietary phosphorus level as three influencing factors: a case report

Multiple diagnostic procedures, their results and interpretation in a case with severe lameness in fattening pigs are described. It is shown that selected diagnostic steps lead to identification of various ris...

Authors: B. Wegner, J. Tenhündfeld, J. Vogels, M. Beumer, J. Kamphues, F. Hansmann, H. Rieger, E. grosse Beilage and I. Hennig-Pauka

The impact of parturition induction with cloprostenol on immunological parameters in the sow colostrum

Farrowing induction with prostaglandin F2 analogue cloprostenol is commonly used on commercial farms to manage the timing of farrowing. When labour induction is applied, the questions arise about possible side...

Authors: Karolina Hlavová, Hana Kudláčková and Martin Faldyna

A bio-economic simulation study on the association between key performance indicators and pluck lesions in Irish farrow-to-finish pig farms

Pluck lesions are associated with decreased performance in grower-finisher pigs, but their economic impact needs to be further investigated. This study aimed to identify the main pluck lesions and the cut-off ...

Authors: Julia Adriana Calderón Díaz, Maria Rodrigues da Costa, Laurence Shalloo, Jarkko K. Niemi, Finola Catherine Leonard, Daniel Crespo-Piazuelo, Josep Gasa and Edgar García Manzanilla

Associations between animal and herd management factors, serological response to three respiratory pathogens and pluck lesions in finisher pigs on a farrow-to-finish farm

Serological screening is a common method to monitor antibody response to pathogen exposure, but results could vary due to several factors. This study aimed to quantify animal and management related factors ass...

Authors: Rose Mary Fitzgerald, Helen O’Shea, Edgar García Manzanilla, John Moriarty, Hugh McGlynn and Julia Adriana Calderón Díaz

Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of a water soluble formulation of tylvalosin in the control of enzootic pneumonia associated with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida in pigs

The efficacy of a water soluble formulation of tylvalosin (Aivlosin® 625 mg/g granules) was evaluated in the treatment and metaphylaxis of Enzootic Pneumonia (EP) in pigs. In all four trials, pigs in the tylva...

Authors: Alfonso Lopez Rodriguez, Anna Catharina Berge, Cliff Ramage, Ryan Saltzman, Rickie J. Domangue, Mark J. Gnozzio, Annika Muller, Pascale Sierra and Hafid A. Benchaoui

Histopathological and microbiological study of porcine lymphadenitis: contributions to diagnosis and control of the disease

Tuberculosis like lesions (TBL) in free-range pigs are characterised by presenting a marked heterogeneity in pathology and microbiology features, with a notorious role of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC),...

Authors: Fernando Cardoso-Toset, Jaime Gómez-Laguna, Lidia Gómez-Gascón, Irene M. Rodríguez-Gómez, Angela Galán-Relaño, Librado Carrasco, Carmen Tarradas, Ana I. Vela and Inmaculada Luque

Mycoplasma hyorhinis as a possible cause of fibrinopurulent meningitis in pigs? - a case series

Mycoplasma hyorhinis is an invader of the upper respiratory tract in swine that is considered to have ubiquitous distribution. It is mainly known for causing polyserositis and polyarthritis in weaned piglets, eve...

Authors: Moritz Bünger, Rene Brunthaler, Christine Unterweger, Igor Loncaric, Maximiliane Dippel, Ursula Ruczizka, Lukas Schwarz, Alfred Griessler, Thomas Voglmayr, Doris Verhovsek, Andrea Ladinig and Joachim Spergser

Effect of porcine immature oocyte vitrification on oocyte-cumulus cell gap junctional intercellular communication

Vitrification may severely affect cumulus cells and oocyte morphology and viability, limiting their maturation and developmental potential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the gap junction intercellular ...

Authors: Fahiel Casillas, Yvonne Ducolomb, Alma López and Miguel Betancourt

Swine inflammation and necrosis syndrome is influenced by husbandry and quality of sow in suckling piglets, weaners and fattening pigs

Swine inflammation and necrosis syndrome (SINS) is a newly identified syndrome in swine that can affect different parts of the extremities in suckling piglets. This study investigates the hypotheses that the c...

Authors: Gerald Reiner, Josef Kühling, Mirjam Lechner, Hansjörg Schrade, Janine Saltzmann, Christoph Muelling, Sven Dänicke and Frederik Loewenstein

Relevance of Leptospira in boar and for the development of alternative antimicrobial concepts in boar semen preservation

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of importance to public health and in livestock productions. It causes significant economic losses in pig breeding farms worldwide. However, actual transmission cycles and d...

Authors: Kathi Scheinpflug, Sabine Schiller, Helen Jäkel, Martin Schulze, Dagmar Waberski and Kristin Mühldorfer

The provision of toys to pigs can improve the human-animal relationship

It is now widely recognised that a positive human-animal relationship is beneficial not only for farm animals’ welfare but also for productivity and the quality of products. A better understanding of animal em...

Authors: Míriam Marcet-Rius, Patrick Pageat, Cécile Bienboire-Frosini, Eva Teruel, Philippe Monneret, Julien Leclercq and Alessandro Cozzi

Porcine hemothropic mycoplasmas infection associated with productive impact in intensive pig production

So far, three porcine hemoplasmas (PH) have been identified, namely Mycoplasma suis, Mycoplasma parvum, and Mycoplasma haemosuis. The first one is the main agent associated with porcine hemoplasmosis, a possible ...

Authors: Fernando Antônio Moreira Petri, Karina Sonalio, Henrique Meiroz de Souza Almeida, Maria Eugênia Silveira Ferraz, Gabriel Yuri Storino, Mauro Rodrigo de Souza, Marcos Rogério André and Luis Guilherme de Oliveira

Guidelines for oral fluid-based surveillance of viral pathogens in swine

Recent decades have seen both rapid growth and extensive consolidation in swine production. As a collateral effect, these changes have exacerbated the circulation of viruses and challenged our ability to preve...

Authors: Alexandra Henao-Diaz, Luis Giménez-Lirola, David H. Baum and Jeffrey Zimmerman

Quantification, description and international comparison of antimicrobial use on Irish pig farms

There is concern that the use of antimicrobials in livestock production has a role in the emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in animals and humans. Consequently, there are increasing effor...

Authors: Lorcan O’Neill, Maria Rodrigues da Costa, Finola C. Leonard, James Gibbons, Julia Adriana Calderón Díaz, Gerard McCutcheon and Edgar García Manzanilla

Production losses five months after outbreak with a recombinant of two PRRSV vaccine strains in 13 Danish sow herds

In July 2019, a PRRSV-negative boar station was infected with a recombinant of two PRRSV vaccine strains, which subsequently spread to at least 36 herds that had received semen from the boar station. In the fo...

Authors: C. S. Kristensen, M. G. Christiansen, K. Pedersen and L. E. Larsen

Efficacy of a novel intradermal Lawsonia intracellularis vaccine in pigs against experimental infection and under field conditions

The efficacy of a novel inactivated intradermal Lawsonia intracellularis vaccine, Porcilis® Lawsonia ID, was evaluated in two experimental vaccination-challenge studies and under field conditions on a farm with a...

Authors: A. A. C. Jacobs, F. Harks, R. Pauwels, Q. Cao, H. Holtslag, S. Pel and R. P. A. M. Segers

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