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?