Articles - Pig health

This article helps us to define the minimum biosecurity measures that should be internally established to prevent indirect PEDv transmission.

Liquid manure in deep anaerobic storage, contains sulfur (from amino acids in feed, manure or in water) which certain bacteria (anaerobes) use as a substitute for oxygen. They produce H₂S as an end product, which is toxic to living tissue, by stopping the energy supplying reactions in the tissue cells.

As pork producers, the only way forward is to rationalize and reduce the use of antibiotics which, in addition, could be a clear business opportunity.

Analysis of the intestinal situation of piglets is an essential action in health management programs. A piglet population with good intestinal health has excellent feed conversion efficiency.

Recognition of the pathogen is the first step of defensive immune response; both innate and specific immunity have mechanism to recognize the pathogen.

These days, the sale of breeding sows or boars with mange is considered unacceptable.

The current diagnostic tests are very powerful, allowing us to detect even small changes in the genome of a virus, but what do they tell us?

We were called for clinical problems on weaners that appeared a few days after a feed transition in a farrow-to-finish farm: swelling of the eyelids and forehead, incoordination, dyspnea and sudden death.

What the cytokines are, what they do and how they work on the immune system.

Why has antimicrobial resistance become more important over the last few years? Which is the responsibility of animal production? Is it possible to transfer antimicrobial resistance from animals to humans and vice versa? Can meat contain resistance even without having antimicrobial residues?

A study was performed including 69 PRRS-positive sow herds with the aim of comparing the use of PRRSV MLV and quarantine facilities with the PRRSV status of replacement gilts at first insemination.

The owner contacted us because he has seen a reduction in performance in recent months, although no decline has been identified in any particular parameter. He says that, overall, “the sows are doing worse".

This article reviews major immune cells: Neutrophils, macrophages, natural killer, lymphocytes, dendritic cells, mast cells...

Does the land altitude, slope or coverage matter?

As the risk of HEV exposure appears to rise in the human population an opportunity for production and certification of HEV free meat products, especially pork, is emerging.

What is antimicrobial resistance? Can it be transmitted between different types of bacteria? Can the same bacteria be resistant to several antibiotics? Can resistance genes be ubiquitous? Can antimicrobial resistance be measured?

The farms that apply more vaccines are the ones that score the best in internal biosecurity. The change towards prevention directly leads to both greater use of vaccines and better internal biosecurity, as they are the only means we know to prevent the disease.

Autolysis prevents histopathological diagnosis with special relevance to intestinal samples

The decrease in PCV2a and PCV2b genotypes over time and the increase in PCV2d in 2012 may be due more to other, unknown, factors than to immunological selection resulting from PCV2a-based vaccination.

Several reasons explain the failure of the German Salmonella Monitoring Programme to result in a continuous reduction of the frequency of salmonella-carrying pigs sent to slaughter at a national level.

This article summarizes the primary (thymus and bone marrow) and secondary (lymph nodes, spleen, MALT, tonsils, and skin immune system) lymphoid organs in pig.

Exhibition pigs should be isolated from herd mates and observed for clinical signs of influenza for at least seven days after an exhibition to prevent transmission to pigs that did not attend the fair.

Oral fluids are practical, fast, easy, cost-effective and reliable methods for sampling pig populations, but it has not been easy or practical to obtain such samples from suckling piglets...

The complexity of ASF control means we need to make a group effort to prevent the disease from entering the EU and make sure we are prepared to fight the disease if it shows up.