Module 2

BREEDER HEALTH
 ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED

Introduction

It is not easy to define what "health" really means, although everybody has an idea
about it. For humans, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines "health" as the
state of optimal well-feeling in relation to the body as well as to the mind.

As for animals, and pigs for that matter, we know

very little about their mind, so we could just say
a healthy pig means the tissues and organs
are functioning normally in harmony with
each other and with its environment. When
this harmony is disturbed and the pig is not able
to maintain the balance between its body
functions and its environment, disease results.
The degree of imbalance determines the
severity of the disease. In effect, the causes
of a disease can be in the animal itself or in the
environment.
DIFFERENT CAUSES OF DISEASES

& The ANIMAL as a Cause

These are the causes, which we can attribute to the pig itself. Primarily, there is
something inside or within the pig which is wrong, such that problems or diseases occur.

• Inborn defects decrease the chances of piglet survival, or it can make it impossible
for them to live at all. These inborn defects can be heritable, such as absence of
skin and atresia ani; or non-heritable, such as trembling piglets in hog cholera
infection from the sow.

• Acquired defects, such as tailbiting, give a higher risk for infection

• Breeds have different characteristics. The Pietrain is known for its stress-sensitivity,
while the Duroc is known for its resistance and strong legs. Generally, crossbreeds
have a better constitution (stronger) than purebreeds.
 The age of the animal is
•
• Constitution is the ability of the pig to cope
also one determining factor
with diseases. It also determines the general
as very young and very old susceptibility of the pig to diseases. Pigs with
animals are more
bad constitution need more care. Each pig
susceptible to certain
has its own inherent body constitution. One
diseases. piglet may die of diarrhea, while another one
& The ENVIRONMENT as a Cause
may survive, and yet the two belong to the
same
Environmental causes of diseases generally referlitter.
to those external to the animal. The
things outside the animal's body that may cause harm are what we call
"environmental" or external factors. They are classified as either infectious or non-
infectious.
L Non-Infectious Causes

The non-infectious causes refer to the different management practices

implemented in the farm. It includes the following:

• Feeds and feeding - deficiencies/excesses,

sudden changes in the feed quality and quantity,
overfeeding/underfeeding, spoiled feeds or toxic
components in the feed

• Drinking water - availability of fresh/clean

drinking water at all times

• Management - faulty management practices especially in newborn and newly

weaned animals can cause chilling/crushing and diarrhea.

• Housing - poor ventilation, wet/dirty floors, bad

flooring

• Trauma/Stress - Traumas, like fighting resulting in

injuries, predispose the pig to other diseases. Stress
(castration, transport/transfer) lowers the pig's body
resistance rendering it more susceptible.
 ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
• Toxic Substances - medicines, toxic plants (ipil-ipil) and chemicals
(organophosphorus compounds)

L Infectious Causes
Infectious causes refer to the involvement of microorganisms as the main cause of
the disease or problem. Generally, infectious organisms gain entrance into the pig's
body only if something went wrong with the non-infectious environment.

• Viruses - Hog Cholera

• Bacteria - Colibacillosis

• Yeast - Candidiasis

• Fungi/Molds - Aflatoxicosis

• Protozoa - Coccidiosis

• Parasites - Mange, Worms, Ringworm

Excretion of Pathogenic Agents

Excretion of pathogenic agents means how these organisms go out of the body and
infect susceptible pigs or hosts. There are various ways of excretion.

1. Which pigs excrete pathogenic agents?

• sick pigs excrete the highest quantity of pathogen

• pigs in the incubation period. This is a very dangerous group because detection
is nearly impossible, and the quantity of pathogens may be high.

• recovered pigs may become carriers of the disease for a short or long time

• subclinical infections

• contaminated pigs
 2. How are pathogenic agents excreted?

• air. very important especially in respiratory infections. eg. pneumonia

• feces. feces of pigs with diarrhea attach easily to objects. very important especially
in gastrointestinal infections. eg. colibacillosis

• saliva. often mixed with discharges from the nose, throat and lungs. sometimes
mixed with stomach contents, too (vomiting).

• tears and ocular discharges. strongly attract flies which possibly carry infectious
diseases.

• urine. can be mixed with products of the genital organs.

• male genital organs. semen, exudate from the prepuce and urethra. often mixed
with urine.

• female genital organs. materials from abortion, during parturition,

uterine/vaginal excretion

• udder secretions. colostrum, milk.

• skin, hairs

• meat/meat by-products. also offals

 Economic Importance of Diseases

There are some diseases that are, by nature, more "economically important" than the
other diseases because once they infect the pigs, they will cause considerable losses to
the pig business.

1. cost of preventive measures, like

vaccinations

2. additional costs of treatment, like drugs,

instruments and labor (time for extra care)

3. loss of production

• increased mortality
• decreased growth and production
• deteriorated feed conversion
• decreased quality of products
• disturbed production planning (less optimal
utilization of the production unit)

4. problems in marketing

• poor quality products

• risks for contamination
• export limitations

technical terms used in the discussions:

contamination - an organism is inside the pig's body without causing any clinical damage or disease
infection - an organism is inside the pig's body causing any clinical damage or disease
lesion - the disruptive changes in the organs/tissues of the animal when infected
morbidity - number of affected animals
mortality - number of dead animals
Pathogenic - the ability of the organism to cause damage or disease
 GENERAL PREVENTIVE MEASURES
General preventive measures directly involve sound and efficient farm management
practices.

As mentioned earlier, the health status of a pig is determined by the harmony between
the pig itself and its environment. This environment is further subdivided into
infectious and non-infectious environment. Together, there are three elements. The
relationship among these three is illustrated below. Each element can be reasonably
controlled by the farm manager.

Non-
Farm infectious Infectious
Manager environment environment Farm
Manager
H

Animal

H - HEALTH STATUS Farm

Manager

The HEALTH STATUS of the animal is determined by these three factors. All these are
more or less controlled by the farm manager and the caretaker/s (human factor).

þ The Animal

1. Choose healthy pigs, purchased from a reliable farm or selected from healthy
pigs in your own stock.

2. Avoid inbreeding to minimize congenital defects.

3. Give extra care to the more susceptible animals, like piglets and sick animals.

4. Improve the immunological resistance from the pigs by vaccination. They are
available for many diseases (eg. hog cholera, FMD, etc.).
þ The Environment (non-infectious)

Pathogens can easily multiply. Sometimes they double their number within less than
half an hour depending on the circumstances. It is, therefore, important to avoid the
entrance of the pathogens as well as the multiplication of pathogens.

How to avoid the entrance of pathogens

1. Purchase healthy pigs.

2. When commercial feeds are used, buy new supply every two weeks. Provide a dry
storage that can be locked and kept free from insects and rodents.

3. Minimize the movement of visitors inside the farm. As much as possible, limit the
number of visitors, especially those who deal a lot with pigs. Before entering the
pig houses, provide them with slippers or rubber boots and overalls. They are to
use the foot bath which should be found at the entrance of each house.

4. Provide natural barriers by surrounding the pig houses with trees and plants.

5. As much as possible, keep away from other farms.

6. Avoid feed left-overs in troughs (restricted feeding) to avoid attracting birds,

rodents and other insects which may carry infectious diseases. Remember also that
it is better to give the feeds on the trough and not on the floor.

7. Routine cleaning should be done at least once a day.

8. When using swill, make sure it is thoroughly cooked.

9. The water supply should be clean. Water from a

creek can easily be contaminated through manure of
pigs from other farms and of other animals, waste
water from factories and human settlements.

10. Use known boars which are free of diseases. Boars

from a breeding station can easily transmit diseases.
Boars (and female breeders) should be regularly
tested for the occurrence of diseases particularly
brucellosis, leptospirosis, parvovirus and
pseudorabies.
How to avoid the multiplication of pathogens

1. Avoid overcrowding in order to decrease the number of pathogens.

2. Remove manure from pens daily. Water is not always necessary in cleaning.
When water is used, a dry space should be left, and the pen should not remain
wet for a long time.

3. Proper drainage should be maintained.

4. Isolate sick pigs to avoid spread of diseases and to give them a better chance
to recover.

5. Remove dead pigs from the pen and bury immediately, unless a veterinarian will
do a necropsy. Burning is also applicable. Pigs should be buried at a depth of more
than 1 meter (sometimes depending also on the size of the dead pig).

6. Regularly disinfect every empty pen. It is generally recommended to implement

aerosol disinfection during disease outbreaks.

7. Sterilize medical instruments after every use. They should then be stored in a
dry and clean place.

8. Group pigs according to their age and weight.

9. Avoid mixing pigs.

10. Vacate/rest pens after thorough cleaning and disinfection. This practice is very
important to break the disease cycle. Most pathogens cannot survive outside the
pig's body especially under dry conditions.

11. Introduce fecal matter to newly purchased stocks to

acclimatize them to the normal microflora of pigs on the
farm.

12. Quarantine should be implemented on newly purchased

pigs. This should be done for at least 30 days.

13. Practice all-in/all-out system or the "by batch" system. Start with a clean
section. Vacate the entire section or dispose/sell pigs at the same time. Clean
again before the entry of a new batch of pigs.

14. Regular parasite control is very important.

 COMMON POST-FARROWING PROBLEMS

The first few days after farrowing are

very important for the sow and her
piglets. Any health-related problem or
disease can result to loss of milk. This
will contributed greatly to piglet (pre-
weaning) mortality

1. vulvar discharge / metritis

Metritis is the inflammation and infection of the uterus. It often occurs after farrowing,
dystocia or abortion. Metritis is part of the metritis-mastitis-agalactia syndrome so
frequently met as a clinical entity in pig practice.

The following organisms are frequently isolated from animals suffering from metritis:
Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Klebsiella spp.

! dirty environment
! physical stress associated with
farrowing
! uterine fatigue
! retained placenta or fetus predisposing factors

Clinical Signs

Gilts and sows will initially show inappetence and depression. The signs of the disease
usually appear in 1 - 3 days post-farrowing. Female breeders will be found lying on
their pens, shivering and trembling. Their temperature will range from 39.5° to 41.3°C.
The udder is hot, and milk flow is inhibited. A thick, whitish to yellowish discharge
from the vulva is seen by the end of the first or second day. Metritis resulting from
retained fetuses, laceration and infections
following dystocia is accompanied by a more watery, foul-smelling discharge from the
vulva. Fever, inappetence and agalactia will also be present.
Control and Treatment

• A combination of penicillin and streptomycin injection, given intramuscularly to

control the infection, is indicated.

• Uterine flushing or lavage is highly recommended. A decoction of guava leaves

maybe used and should be pumped into the uterus for 3 - 5 days preferably
morning and afternoon.

• Administration of oxytocin will hasten involution of uterus.

• Implement proper diet and exercise. Fat sows will have a high incidence of
dystocia and weak, atonic uterus.

2. mastitis

Mastitis is the inflammation of the mammary glands. Mastitis involving individual udder
sections is diagnosed by keen, visual observation and manual examination.

The following organisms are associated with mastitis in the sows: Streptococcus,
Staphylococcus, Actinomyces sp., Actinobacillus lignieresii, Corynobacterium
pyogenes, Mycobacterium sp.

! dirty environment
! udder injury
! faulty feeding scheme

predisposing factors

Clinical Signs

One, two or more sections of the udder can be affected. These are reddish or
bluish/violet in color, hard and hot to the touch. The gilt or sow is inappetent and
febrile. She does not want her teats to be touched or suckled on. Thus, the piglets
become hungry and very noisy. Piglets may show diarrhea due to bacterial
contamination of the milk. Milk coming from affected teats is blood-tinged, with pus
and foul-smelling.

Control and Treatment

• If the sow is showing generalized signs and has fever, penicillin and
streptomycin intramuscular injection is administered.

• Occasionally, mammary infusion is given.

 ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
• Give particular attention to cleanliness, proper feeding and exercise.

• Hot compress helps stimulate blood and milk flow.

3. agalactia / hypogalactia

Agalactia is the absence of milk, while hypogalactia is the decrease in the amount of
milk secreted. It results in the death of many individuals and even the whole litter
during the first few days following farrowing. The piglets are also deprived of quality
colostrum needed for immunity.

The following organisms are associated with sows suffering from

agalactia/hypogalactia: Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Escherichia, Klebsiella,
Pseudomonas, Proteus, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus spp. Any individual
causative factor or a combination of factors may cause this clinical syndrome.

• mastitis and metritis

predisposing factors
• hormonal imbalance
• improper management – faultry
feeding scheme, indadequate water
supply, hypocalcemia, stress
• extreme hot weather
• hyper-excitable or nervous sows /
gilts

Clinical Signs
The condition is encountered 2 – 3 days post-
farrowing. It will be apparent that the piglets are
hungry, in various stages of starvation and
hypoglycemia. Sows with agalactia are uneasy
and lie in the sternal position. Some sows lie out
flat and permit the piglets to suckle but fail
tosecrete milk. The sow is partially or completely
off-feed. The udder is firm and congested. The
sows show various degrees of trembling
probably due to intoxication and fever. Feces are
Note mastitic udder, red and swollen.
Piglets are reluctant to suck the affected dry and scanty. This type of agalactia appears to
udder. be due to a combination of over-feeding, auto-
Control and Treatment intoxication due to a sluggish digestive tract,
atonic uterus, and, in many cases, secondary
• Oxytocin administration and antibiotic uterinetreatment
infection. are indicated if infection is
suspected.

• Symptomatic treatment for piglets is also indicated which may include

administration of 10 mL dextrose intraperitoneally.
 COMMON DISEASES OF BREEDERS
1. Parvo Viral Infection

This is the most common and important cause of infectious infertility. Porcine
parvovirus is a fairly tough virus that multiplies normally in the intestines of the pig
without causing clinical signs. It is worldwide in its distribution. Whereas most viruses
do not survive outside the host for any great period of time PPV is unsual in that it
can persist outside the pig for many months and it is resistant to most disinfectants.
This perhaps explains why it is so widespread and so difficult to remove from the pig
environment.
PPV is transmitted either by mouth or through the nose passing into the intestine
where it multiplies and is passed out in feces. If a pig becomes infected for the first
time when it is not pregnant, there are no clinical signs. However, if the animal is
pregnant and exposed for the first time in the first 55 days or so of pregnancy, the
virus crosses the placenta killing piglets selectively. If the foetus is infected at less
than 35 days of age, before there has been an opportunity for bone development,
death results, followed by complete absorption and ultimately a small litter is born.
If infection takes place between 30 and 55 days of pregnancy the foetus die and they
become mummified. Do not assume that all mummified pigs are all caused by PPV
infection. This is often not the case. It takes 10-14 days from first infection for PPV
to reach the piglets inside the uterus. From 70 days of age, the immune system of
the piglets has started to develop and it can therefore respond and protect itself from
the virus. Thus if pregnant animals are infected for the first time after approximately
55 days of pregnancy there will be little evidence of the disease. Once inside the
womb, PPV spreads slowly from foetus to another and as a result the sizes of
mummified piglets will vary within the litter.
.
Prevention and Control

1. Because there is no treatment for Parvo viral infection, the disease can be
prevented by vaccinating gilts 2-3 weeks before mating.

2. Once a pig is exposed, there is a lifelong immunity.

2. Pseudorabies

Also known as Aujeskey’s disease in Europe, this is an important disease of pigs,

caused by a Herpes virus. Once introduced into a herd the virus usually remains there
and it can continually affect reproductive performance at varying levels. The virus can
survive for up to three weeks outside the pig. Aerosolization of the virus up to 3
kilometers and transmission by fomites may occur. Transmission through infected
semen via AI or carrier boars is possible. Also, infection may occur from wild pigs,
contaminated carcasses, mechanically or people and infected slurry.
The virus may potentially survive for seven hours in humid air, and it may survive on
well water for up to seven hours, in green grass, soil, and feces for up to two days, in
contaminated feed for up to three days, and in straw bedding for up to four days.

Clinical Signs

• aborted/macerated piglets, mummies

• death of animals other than pigs
• nervous signs on piglets like paddling movements, opisthotonus, head pressing
• excessive salivation
• death within 24 hours

3. Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS)

The Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is caused by an

arterivirus. The virus is classified in two types: North American and European (or
Lelystad). The virus is very susceptible to the environment and disinfectants, and is
characterized by its great capacity to mutate. The virus has a special affinity for
alveolar macrophages found in the lung. Macrophages are part of the immune system
ingesting and eliminating invading bacteria and viruses. The virus multiplies inside
the macrophages producing more virus, and the cells die in the process. It destroys
up to a 40% of macrophages, which eliminates most of the animal’s defense
mechanisms and allows bacteria and other virus to proliferate and damage the
respiratory system. The virus can cross the placenta and infect fetuses from 70 days
of pregnancy, causing abortios in the third trimester and mummies or stillborn.
Once the virus has entered a farm, it stays in it and keeps active.
Clinical Signs

• Wasting of pigs
• Loss of appetite
• Fever
• Coughing and respiratory signs
• Agalactia and mastitis in sows
• Mummified piglets
• Stillborn piglets increase
• Early farrowing/abortion
• Weak piglets at birth
• High mortality in neonatal pigs
• Lowered fertility and libido in boars

4. Leptospirosis

Leptospira are bacteria with a long and slender spiral shape, present in most
mammalian species.
Once these organisms are introduced into pig farms they become carriers and produce
kidney infections and intermittent excretion of the organism in urine. The disease is
rare in nursing piglets and infects only individual animals.
Remember that this disease is zoonotic.
The infection can enter the herd in three ways:
• Introduction of infected gilts and boars
• Infection brought into the herd by other animals
• Exposure of the herd to indirect sources of contamination, e.g. contaminated
water

Clinical Signs

• Various levels of inappetence

• Fever
• Diarrhea
• Late-term abortion (90-110 days)
• Jaundice

Treatment and Control

• Critical to interrupt the infection cycles pig-to-pig or rodent/wildlife-to-pig.

• Give vaccines to the breeding herd at least once every three to six months with
vaccines of multiple strains.
• Use potable, uncontaminated water or use chlorination.
• Avoid use of surface water sources if possible
• Antibiotics can be used to control clinical signs but will not eliminate infection and
usually require long treatment periods.
• Aggressive rodent control programs.
5. Cystitis/Pyelonephritis

This disease is an important cause of mortality in all ages of dry sows. In badly affected
herds sow mortality can exceed 12% per annum. Cystitis is inflammation of the bladder and
nephritis is inflammation of the kidney.

Clinical Signs

• Acute case: sow very ill, off feed, reddish mucus membrane of the eye, blood and pus
in urine, sudden death
• Chronic case: not fatal, pus and blood in the urine, slight vaginal discharge

Treatment and Control

• Antibiotic treatment is indicated to destroy the incriminating bacteria but it must be
excreted in the urine.
• Lincomycin is effective at a dose level of 10mg/kg. This medicine is active against E.
suis.
• An alternate method is to inject the sow at weaning or at mating with a long-acting
single injection of penicillin or amoxycillin.
• Ensure a good supply of clean fresh water all the time.
• Treat the boar’s prepuces with antibiotics to reduce the level of the pathogen

General Control Measures for Common Diseases of Breeders

1. Bio-security Measures
a. Hygiene and sanitation
b. All-in-all-out
c. Acclimatization
2. Vaccination
a. PVV: 5-6 months of age
b. PRV: every 3 or 6 months
c. PRRS: every 6 months

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