Articles - Pig health

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.

Hans Nauwynck defines himself as a veterinary virologist, a person who works in a laboratory setting, doing precise work, like a surgeon, aiming to gain a better understanding of how animal viruses interact with their target cells. But it is much more. His deep understanding of the biological behavior of viruses allows him to fluently explain many of the “whys” that are so important for a better understading of the pathogenesis of viral diseases and the development of effective control strategies.

PRRS control measures also reduce the opportunities for different wild-type viruses to recombine and create more aggressive strains.

Genetic mutation and evolution of PRRSV can occur across all genes. Unlike ORF5, which only represents about 4% of the PRRSV genome, NGS can recover a whole PRRSV genome to be used in epidemiological investigations.

The first three years of the Danish PRRS reduction strategy have shown that it is possible to control and reduce the prevalence of PRRS in Danish pig production.

In the first two months, the outbreak caused more than 600 abortions and more than 150 sow deaths, destroying the weekly batch structure.

The last of the three summaries by Antonio Palomo dedicated to the 2024 edition of the Allen D. Leman Conference focuses on health: biosecurity and viral and bacterial diseases.

We analyze the two most relevant respiratory viruses in the swine population.

In this last article in the series we discuss the main causes of “vaccine failure”, i.e. when we aren't sure that vaccines are working or they are only partially working.

Beta glucans are an excellent bioactive compounds that can help us enhance passive immunity in a profitable and practical way.

Beta glucans can boost the vaccinal response, thus helping to achieve an optimal vaccinal response. If they are supplied during enough time to cover the whole vaccination programme this strategy could be an option to improve the vaccine response.

Histopathology can provide a strong framework to establish the real causality of a clinical problem.

Nutrition plays a major role in the immune response. The interaction of different dietary components with other factors such as environment, health status, and genetics plays an important role in modulating the immune response.

In the fifth installment of the manual we address the examination of the organs of the abdominal cavity.

This article describes the main characteristics of commercial vaccines to combat PRRS.

This farm has built a small chute to vaccinate an entire pen of piglets in record time.

For several reasons, Poland has not managed to control ASF in wild boars and pigs. What measures has this country implemented during these 10 years and why were they insufficient?

Breaking the chain of infection from humans to pigs and from pigs to humans.

Moving away from weekly batch management improved Time to stability, Time to baseline production and Total Piglet losses per 1,000 sows after a PRRS outbreak.

In the fourth installment of the manual, we address examining the thoracic cavity organs.

The overall risk of a PRRS outbreak is 12 times higher during the first 15 days after pumping manure than the rest of the year.

This article describes the main characteristics of commercial vaccines for combatting porcine parvovirus.