Swine Resources - Diseases

October 2021

On large farms, the first animals to become ill and die from ASF may be missed unless there is an appropriate passive surveillance system that targets dead and diseased animals.

April 2020

This vaccine looks promising, but... are we going to see it in Europe?

September 2021

Pen-based oral fluid samples may be used to supplement the use of traditional samples for rapid detection of ASFV during ASF surveillance.

August 2021

Bacteria in the gut microbiota that stimulate the immune response to vaccines in pigs also stimulate growth.

June 2021

Researchers have never been closer to developing an African swine fever vaccine.

January 2021

In the first article of this series, the four specialists shared with us about the increase in neonatal diarrhea problems and explained which were the main causative agents according to their experience. In this article, we will address preventive strategies using vaccination methods.

July 2019

Intranasal and intratracheal inoculation routes as well as aerosolization with foggers are discussed.

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M hyo) causes chronic respiratory infection leading to significant economic losses due to lower growth performance and higher treatment costs. The overarching goal M hyo control programs is to minimize sow shedding. This reduces the number of positive piglets at weaning, which is a predictor for M hyo clinical disease in growing pigs.

October 2020

Summary:

It has been demonstrated in six states that swine exhibited at national fairs spread transmission of swine influenza virus. Taking a hiatus of a couple of weeks after these national shows mitigated the spread of influenza viruses at subsequent shows.

September 2020

Insufficient lactogenic protection provided by gilts plays a key role in the development of and the increased prevalence of clinical rotavirus C disease.

July 2020

A combination of culling and infected carcass removal is the most effective method to eradicate the virus without also eradicating the host population, and that early implementation of these control measures will reduce infection levels.

African swine fever (ASF) is a severe viral disease that is currently spreading among domestic pigs and wild boar (Sus scrofa) in large areas of Eurasia. Wild boar play a key role in the spread of ASF, yet despite their significance, little is known about the key mechanisms that drive infection transmission and disease persistence. A mathematical model of the wild boar ASF system is developed that captures the observed drop in population density, the peak in infected density and the persistence of the virus observed in ASF outbreaks.

The model results provide insight into the key processes that drive the ASF dynamics and show that environmental transmission is a key mechanism determining the severity of an infectious outbreak and that direct frequency dependent transmission and transmission from individuals that survive initial ASF infection but eventually succumb to the disease are key for the long-term persistence of the virus. By considering scenarios representative of Estonia and Spain we show that faster degradation of carcasses in Spain, due to elevated temperature and abundant obligate scavengers, may reduce the severity of the infectious outbreak. Our results also suggest that the higher underlying host density and longer breeding season associated with supplementary feeding leads to a more pronounced epidemic outbreak and persistence of the disease in the long-term.

The model is used to assess disease control measures and suggests that a combination of culling and infected carcass removal is the most effective method to eradicate the virus without also eradicating the host population, and that early implementation of these control measures will reduce infection levels whilst maintaining a higher host population density and in some situations prevent ASF from establishing in a population.

O'Neill X, White A, Ruiz-Fons F, Gortázar C.
Modelling the transmission and persistence of African swine fever in wild boar in contrasting European scenarios.
Scientific Reports. 2020;10(5895) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-62736-y