Comparative studies of mortality, morbidity and growth rate in conventional and swine health service farms. II. Course and causes of diseases
Buhlmann, J.; Weibel, W.; Hani, H.
Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde 125(11): 779-788
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-7281 PMID: 6658437 Document Number: 202619
In a survey involving 95 fattening farms, PM findings in 357 animals (82.4% of all deaths) and pathological findings in 35 culled animals (17.7% of all culled pigs) were evaluated. Mortality was highest during the first month after arrival (animals less than 30 kg body weight). Main causes of death were diseases of the digestive system (44.5%) and the respiratory tract: oedema disease (18.8%), pneumonia (2.1% in farms of the pig health service, 20.1% in ordinary farms), oesophagogastric ulcers (9.0%), haemorrhagic intestinal syndrome (6.7%), bacterial endocarditis (8.4%) and meningitis (7.4% in farms of the pig health service, 1.8% in ordinary farms). Pneumonia was more frequent in animals of ordinary farms (64.5%) than herds of the pig health service (27.7%). Enzootic pneumonia was diagnosed in 33.7% of examined animals in ordinary farms and 18.1% in herds of the pig health service. Haemophilus pleuropneumonia was found only in ordinary farms (16.6%). Atrophic rhinitis was observed predominantly in ordinary farms (34.3%), frequently associated with pneumonia. Rare causes of death were diseases of urogenital and locomotory system and septic bacterial infections, polyserositis counted for 27.1% and polyarthritis for 5.6% of secondary diagnoses.