Jennifer Richter, Laura Talaga, Courtney Low, Vi Nguyen , Morgan Tannenbaum, Erin Burton
Signs of a Healthy PigletActive & alert, with bright eyes and
curious.Body temperature of 102.5° FSleek haircoatTightly curled tailsClean and dryStrong appetite & weight gain
Healthy Piglet WeaningAverage Wean Age: 20-22 days
Average Wean Weight: 13-14 lbs
Growth during 1st week post weaning:• Pigs that grow 0.5 lb per day the
1st week of weaning were 17 lbs heavier at market
Feeding Post Weaning PigletsFirst 7 days post weaning: critical periodImportant to remember extreme nutritional
changes occur at weaning!Creep feeding recommended
Stimulates pig to eat (appetite) & helps find feed
Scatter 1lb feed per 30 heads on mat 4-6x daily
Gruel FeedingPigs having trouble starting on dry feed (water + commercial feed)
Managing Healthy Post Weaning Piglets
Water intake is critical• 1 nipple for 10 pigs or 1 bowl/trough per 20 pigs• Height of nipple: shoulder height of smallest
piglet
Zone Heating• provides 82 0 F• Pigs lay 1 ½ “deep” =
lie touching each other w/ heads on neighbors flank
Identifying SICK piglets: careful observation is the key
Rough hair coat or fuzzy appearanceSucked in flanks. Obvious empty belly.Depressed or lethargic. Head down or
droopy. Ears laid back. Laying along the gate.
Not active or competing. Feed refusal. Lameness. Piling. Temperature > 102°F (38.8°C)
Signs to look for:
Sucked in flanks and stomach is a good indication the pig has not been eating.
Some pigs have rough hair coats which is typical 3-6 days post wean but bellies are round indicating that pigs are on feed and doing well.
Our CaseHomer Zuckerman’s Famous Pig FarmReports in the last 2 months:
14 emaciated6 dead
Age range: 3-6 months old
Clinical SignsWasting Enlarged lymph nodes
(inguinal) Ill thriftRough hair coatPale skinDyspneaIcterusDiarrhea
DDxPMWS
Post Weaning Multi-systemic Wasting Syndrome
PRRS Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome
Swine InfluenzaMycoplasmaPorcine dermatitis and nephropathy
syndrome (PDNS)
PMWS and related PCVAD’s
Porcine respiratory disease complex
Granulomatous enteritis
Reproductive failure
Porcine dermatitis and nephropathy
PMWS Effects
Post weaning piglets 4-14 weeksPregnant sows in 1st or 2nd trimester
• Direct: feces, respiratory secretions, urine.
• Fecal-oral or oro-nasal route.• Hematogenous dissemination
• Ubiquitous in swine herds worldwide:
• Natural protection; early antigen exposure
• Most infections subclinical• only 10-30% clinical
• Maternal antibody protection to piglets from exposed sows
Transmission
Clinical Signs
Weight loss/muscle wasting, dyspnea, enlarged lymph nodes, jaundice, pallor and ill thrift
Sows: Abortion or fetal resorption,SMEDI
PMWS: complex and multi-factorial Dz
• Pathogenesis and cellular tropisms remain unknown
• Replication in monocytic cell lines = granulomatous lesions ???
• PCV2 is necessary, but co-factors are more significant in development of PMWS.
COFACTORS 1. Co-infections
• + PPV• + PRRS• + Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae
2. Management Factors:Co-mingling, diet change, pathogen exposure and separation of piglets from sows
• Challenge and suppress pig’s immune system
3. Immunostimulation (?):• Concurrent vax + PVC2 exposure = enhanced
severity of clinical disease
Kidney and liver: variable; diffusely scattered white foci
Gross pathologic findings of PMWS
Gross pathologic findings of PMWS
Lung- non-collapsable and palpably firm
Lymph node- enlarged; granulomatousinfiltrates
Gross pathologic findings of PMWS
Histopathologic findings of PMWS
Lymph node: multinucleated giant cells, histiocytic infiltrates; lymphoid cell depletion
Lungs: interstitial pneumonia with lymphohistiocytic infiltrate
Histopathologic findings of PMWS
“The Grapes of Wrath”- characteristic botryoid inclusion bodies in lymph nodes, tonsils and Peyer’s patches
Diagnosis of PMWS1) Clinical signs in weaned pigs
wasting and dyspnea.
2) Gross- or histo- pathological findings interstitial pneumonia granulomatous lesions, botryoid inclusion bodies lympho-histiocytic infiltrates
3) Demonstration of the presence of PCV2 in the lesions Immunohistochemistry In-situ hybridization
Control of PMWSGood management practices
Semen from insemination centers vs. on-farm
Control of co-infectionsPRRSParvo
PCV2 vaccines
Vaccines Intervet Circumvent™ PCV (US and Canada)
Healthy pigs 3 weeks and older 2 IM injections 3 weeks apart
Fort Dodge Suvaxyn PCV2® One Dose (US) PCV1-2 Chimera Healthy pigs 4 weeks and older 1 single dose IM
Boehringer Ingleheim Ingelvac® CircoFLEX™ (US and Canada) Healthy pigs 3 weeks and older 1 singe dose IM
Merial Circovac® (Europe and Canada) Primary Vaccination
2 injections 3-4 weeks apart at least 2 weeks before mating Revaccination
1 injection at each gestation at least 2-4 weeks before farrowing Healthy female breeding age pigs
Benefits of vaccinationReduced mortality rate and morbidity
Decreased mortality before weaning after vaccination of sows
Decreased mortality in fourth month of life after vaccination of piglets
Reduced PCV2 viremia and viral loadReduction in clinical signs and co-infections
associated with PMWSImproved productivity
Greater average daily weight gainGreater carcass weight at slaughter
Herd ManagementThe basic principle of herd management with
pigs is to Reduce STRESS!Handle with care, gentleness and patienceCheck herd daily on a strict scheduleWalk though pens once a day ID sick pigs right away and move them to a
separate pen
Herd Management OptionsAll In/ All Out
Continuous Flow
All In/ All Out
Pigs of the same size or age are housed together in order to decrease the opportunity for diseases to spread
AI/ AOAdvantages Disadvantages
Disease spread is easier to contain
Pigs are less stressed when the remain within familiar social groups
Cleaning & disinfecting achievable between groups
Must have adequate space
Space is less efficiently allocated
Continuous FlowAnimals are added to the group as the are old
enough or large enoughThese animal may be in different stages of
development
Continuous FlowAdvantages Disadvantages
Space is used efficiently Pigs of various immunocompetence are placed together
Frequent social group changes
Cleaning & Disinfecting between groups is not feasible
Special thanks to:Dr Wallace Dr Gyimah Dr Castillo
References Early Pig Care Manual. PIC. Hendersonville, TN. 2009 Harding JCS, Clark EG. Recognizing and diagnosing Postweaning
Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome (PMWS). Swine health and production. Vol. 5, number 5.
http://www.ipic.iastate.edu/publications/720.RaisingHealthyPigs.pdf http://www.grobernutrition.com/piglet/porlet/ http://www.goats4h.com/Pigs.html http://cal.vet.upenn.edu. Swine Production. 15 March, 2011. http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/swine/fac/general/health.html “Chapter 1: Management practices and animal husbandry.” Swine Care
Handbook. 2002. 15 March 2011. http://www.antwifarms.com/docs/swinecarehandbook.pdf http://www.vin.com/members/cms/document/default.aspx?
objecttypeid=2&template=articleview&redirect=1&objectid=1665126 http://www.vin.com/members/cms/document/default.aspx?
objecttypeid=2&template=articleview&redirect=1&objectid=1733985 http://vetmed.iastate.edu/research/labs/pcv2/control-pcv2-associated-
disease
http://www.thepigsite.com/pigjournal/articles/1630/porcine-multisystemic-wasting-syndrome-pmws-a-review
Krokowka S, Ellis JA, Meehan B, Kennedy S, McNeilly and Allan G. Viral Wasting Syndrome of Swine: Experimental Reproduction of PMWS in Gnotobiotic Swine by Coinfection with PCV2 and PPV. SAGE Journals online.
http: //vet.sagepub.com/content/37/3/245.full "ScienceDirect - Preventive Veterinary Medicine : Risk factors for porcine post-
weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in 149 French farrow-to-finish herds." ScienceDirect - Home . N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2011. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TBK-49M6RNP-2&_user=4442476&_coverDate=
http://www.aasp.org/shap/issues/v5n5/index.html Tucker AW. Porcine multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS): a review. The Pig
Journal. April 2006.
References
Questions?