http://www.nadis.org.uk/Neonatal%20C...s/NEONAT_1.htm

NADIS disease bulletins are written specifically for farmers, to
increase awareness of prevalent conditions and promote disease
prevention and control, in order to benefit animal health and welfare.

Farmers are advised to discuss their individual farm circumstances
with their veterinary surgeon.



Neonatal Colibacillosis



Neonatal diarrhoea (scour) is a common cause of loss in piglets soon
after birth and yet nowadays is one of the easier disease problems
faced by the pig farmer to control. There are a range of causes but E
coli infection remains one of the most common particularly in gilt
litters.



Cause and Development


E coli is a bacteria that is normally found in the gut of pigs (and
most other mammals). The excretion rate of E coli from the sow
increases as she approaches farrowing and the three major sources of
infection for the piglet a-



1) The sow.

2) Other infected and particularly scouring piglets.

3) The environment.



Most strains of E coli are harmless. However, there are strains that
are extremely harmful to the piglet – most of which are clarified as
Haemolytic E coli (due to their growth characteristics in the
laboratory). Each strain is identified by number and in a few cases
by name (Abbottstown).



The balance between the degree of exposure of the piglet at birth and
the immunity conferred upon the piglet by the transfer of colostrum
from mother will determine whether or not disease is seen.



The effect of these harmful strains of bacteria is to stick to the
wall of the intestine and to produce a toxin (poison) which alters the
function of the intestine such that there is a loss of fluid into the
gut producing scour.



Clinical Signs



Neonatal E coli infection presents as a profuse watery scour within 3
days of age with severe and rapid dehydration. Death can occur
rapidly – in some littermates before scour is actually evident. It
will often though not always occur in whole litters and appear to
spread from litter to litter within a house (Fig 1).



At post mortem there will be inflammation of the small intestine with
watery often yellow content. Typically the stomach will be full of
milk as the pigs continue to suck. Diagnosis is confirmed on
laboratory testing of gut contents or rectal swabs.



NB. E coli is one of the few pathogenic agents affecting baby pigs
that will be easily detected on rectal swabs.



Treatment



Individual cases, maybe treated with an appropriate oral
antibiotic-determined by sensitivity testing. In an outbreak
strategic medication of all pigs at birth maybe necessary.



Equally important as part of the treatment programme is the provision
of electrolytes to reduce the severe dehydration that actually kills
many piglets. These must be kept fresh and in severely affected pigs
be actively administered orally e.g. by syringe.



Control and Prevention



The principles of control revolve around:-



1) Reducing spread of infection.

2) Reducing reservoir of infection.

3) Increasing immunity in sows and piglets.



1) The disease will spread by any physical movement of scour
between pens and buildings. Use of disinfectant foot dips between
pens and rooms is vital – keeping the foot dip fresh, clean and at the
correct dilution rate. Control of flies, mice etc is also vital.



Active cross fostering of piglets is discouraged in the face of an
outbreak.



2) The farrowing pen in which a previous litter has been affected
is a reservoir of infection if not thoroughly cleaned. Cleaning
should involve the use of detergents to remove the protective grease
film (derived from high fat lactation and creep diets), power washing
and disinfecting – using a MAFF approved product at the appropriate
dilution rate. The longer the pens can be rested between batches the
better. Fumigation of rooms may be an additional technique to employ.
Removal of slurry from channels under slats reduces the risk of flies
bringing infection back to the pen surface.



Cleanliness of the sow is also important. The sow should, if grossly
contaminated, be washed and dried before entry to a clean pen and she
should not spend an excessively long time in the crate before
farrowing 3 - 5 days is preferable – legally it cannot be more than 7
days.



In the outdoor environment, burning of old beds, moving of farrowing
arcs and avoidance of lying boards will all help control the disease.



3) Immunity in the sow can be raised by:-



a) Feedback – scour from the affected litters can be mixed back
to sows in late pregnancy (no earlier than 75 days gestation) for 3 –
4 weeks prior to entry to farrowing house. This must be done under
veterinary direction.



b) Vaccination – there are several proprietary vaccines on the
market to administer to gilts ands sows prior to farrowing. Each has
a slightly different protocol and it is vital that the correct
protocol is followed if the vaccine is to be effective.





It should be appreciated that the injectable vaccines raise systemic
immunity in the sow which is spread to colostrum and transferred to
piglets. As such they will only tend to protect the piglet in the
first 3 – 4 days of life and are largely ineffective for controlling
disease associated with E coli infection in older piglets.



Mark White BVSc DPM MRCVS




"As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!"
Woody Guthrie

A prophet is only despised in his own country....
..........among his own relations...
............and in his own house