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Almost four years after the first case of African swine fever was detected in Italy, the epidemic continues to pose a complex challenge for the country's health and wildlife management. Since January 2022, the virus has appeared in four distinct geographical areas. These were independent introductions of certain anthropogenic origin, occurring at different times and environmental contexts.

Should we review the iron requirements of piglets?

Considering the spread of African swine fever (ASF) globally in recent years, are we prepared for this increased risk?

ASF has never spread so widely across the globe. The question is not if it will arrive, but when. The latest outbreaks detected in Europe may provide valuable information as the wolf lurks.

Increased productivity has not come without consequences. Sows face greater physiological demands, which translates into a higher metabolic load, increased nutritional requirements, and, in many cases, increased mortality on farms. This phenomenon is of particular concern in Spain.

Assessing lung lesions at slaughter is useful for monitoring their evolution over time, and thus estimating the effectiveness of the measures implemented to control these diseases.

The choice of cut-off point influences sensitivity, specificity, and the occurrence of false positives or negatives. We explain why the timing of collection and the purpose of the test make a difference in interpreting the results.

Boosting key performance indicators in swine production requires addressing viral pathogens, which remain a major challenge for swine health, performance, and farm profitability. Emerging strains, such as H1N2#E and devastating diseases like ASF, highlight the urgency for innovative control strategies. C12 monoglycerides represent a promising approach to enhance pigs’ immune defenses and mitigate viral impact.

High sensitivity, specificity, and an affordable cost make ELISA an indispensable tool in laboratory routines. This infographic explains the mechanisms, components, and main variations of this assay in a visual and objective way.

When losses and costs from poor health threaten the current and future farm profitability, perhaps a “clean slate” should be considered.

Oral vaccination in pigs, previously limited to enteric pathogens, is emerging as an innovative strategy against respiratory diseases. By building on the potential of the Common Mucosal Immune System (CMIS), new formulations can trigger immune responses in distant mucosal sites starting from the gut.

By exploring the mechanisms of the Common Mucosal Immune System (CMIS), orally administered vaccines are capable of activating coordinated immune responses across different mucosal sites in the body. In this content, we explain how local activation in the GALT triggers protective effects in distant mucosal tissues, such as the respiratory tract, thereby expanding the reach of immune protection.

In healthy animals, PCV2 stays under the radar, causing little harm. But with coinfections that activate the immune system, the virus replicates more and becomes more damaging.

Chronic inflammation is one of the main challenges in modern pig production, affecting intestinal health, productive performance, and feed efficiency. In light of increasing pressure to reduce antibiotic use, functional nutrition emerges as a key tool.

Professor Nauwynck has been researching PCV2 virus since the emergence of PCV2-associated diseases. PCV2 caused a serious crisis in global swine health that was ultimately addressed through the development and mass deployment of effective PCV2 vaccines. He is an excellent connoisseur of this small virus that continues to surprise us.

Digestive diseases in pigs that were previously addressed individually, targeting a single pathogen, now form a digestive disease complex that we must confront from various angles.