AHVLA: <i>Salmonella Typhimurium</i> Causes Diarrhoea

UK - Monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium phage type 193 was found to cause diarrhoea in growing pigs, according to the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency's (AHVLA) Monthly Scanning Surveillance Report for April 2011.
calendar icon 13 June 2011
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Alimentary tract diseases

Salmonellosis

Bury diagnosed monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium phage type 193 as the cause of diarrhoea affecting 27 of 4,000 pigs with seven deaths. The pigs were reared in outdoor tents prior to moving indoors for finishing. A post cleaning and disinfection visit revealed a significant rodent population with S.Typhimurium isolated from rat faeces and several environmental samples. Advice was provided on biosecurity and rodent control.

A similar monophasic S.Typhimurium-like organism was responsible for sudden deaths in another case involving six to nine-week-old rearing pigs on an indoor breeder-finisher, in this case the phage type was identified as PT120. The unit had a history of salmonellosis and an advisory visit revealed deficiencies in cleaning and disinfection of weaner pens. Advice was provided on hygiene and biosecurity.

Respiratory Diseases

Laryngeal oedema

Winchester necropsied a recently purchased 22-month-old Gloucester Old Spot gilt which had been coughing the day prior to being found dead in a mud wallow. It was in very good condition. Necropsy revealed severe oedema of the laryngeal mucosa with subcutaneous haemorrhage into tissue along the left side of the larynx, and the laryngeal lumen had been almost obliterated. There was a large quantity of blood tinged froth in the tracheal lumen. Lung pathology was minimal. The lesions were thought to be associated with an anaphylactic reaction.

Neurological Diseases

Bowel oedema

Four of a group of 22 post-weaned ten-week old Saddleback housed pigs were found dead and two others were seen severely depressed and cyanotic. There was no scour or respiratory signs. At post mortem by the private veterinary surgeon septicaemic changes were seen including fibrin in the abdomen and an acute enteritis and lymphadenopathy. The gastric mucosa was oedematous. A pure growth of E. coli type E4 was isolated from the intestinal contents of one of these pigs allowing for a diagnosis of bowel oedema. However, the acute enteritis with diphtheritic adhesions is not typically associated with bowel oedema and this may have been either an attaching and effacing E. coli or perhaps porcine intestinal adenomatosis.

Other diseases

Clostridial hepatitis

Thirsk diagnosed hepatitis caused by Clostridium novyi as the cause of death of a single sow from a 200 sow herd of Gloucester Old Spots which had died unexpectedly 24 hours after service. She had shown various signs of malaise since weaning six weeks previously, the cause of which was suspected to be low grade gastric ulceration. Post mortem examination revealed typical lesions of “aero chocolate liver“ together with a large florid 2.5 cm diameter mass on the left atrio-ventricular valve from which Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae was isolated. The severe endocarditis was thought to have predisposed to the clostridial hepatitis.

Glasser’s disease

Thirsk diagnosed glassers’ disease as the cause of? sudden death of nine, six-week-old pigs which had been found dead unexpectedly in a pen of 30. No scour or respiratory disease was reported. Post-mortem examination of three affected pigs revealed polyserositis, specifically with variations in polyarthritis, pericarditis, pleurisy and peritonitis. Haemophilus parasuis was detected in pure growth from one of the three carcases with no bacterial growth yielded from the other two pigs. Glasser’s disease was the confirmed diagnosis.

PCV2 associated disease

Bury diagnosed PCV-2 associated disease as the cause of wasting and jaundice in one group of six-week-old pigs in flat decks; 25 / 75 pigs had been affected with 11 deaths. The problem began one week after weaning and it was suspected that the affected group had inadvertently not received PCV-2 vaccine. Pigs in an adjacent room which would have been vaccinated at the same time were not affected.

You can visit our PCVAD/PMWS page by clicking here.

Further Reading

- Find out more information on the diseases mentioned here by clicking here.
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