Veterinary Services

Generalised and systemic conditions

An outbreak of lameness in unweaned piglets on a newly repopulated 400-sow unit prompted submission of affected pigs for post mortem examination. Gross findings were consistent with suppurative polyarthritis. Actinobacillus equuli was isolated from the joints of two of the pigs and Streptococcus equi zooepidemicus was isolated from a third case. Such causes of sporadic arthritis are not uncommon in newly established herds, and especially in gilt litters, and usually subside as the herd immunity improves and the parity structure changes. Prophylactic treatment of neonatal pigs with penicillin/aminopenicillin was recommended in the face of the outbreak.

Respiratory tract diseases

A six to seven-week-old wild boar piglet was the third young pig to die following signs of dyspnoea and anorexia. Necropsy revealed generalised congestion, oedema and consolidation of the cranial and cardiac lung lobes and the cranial halves of the diaphragmatic lobes. There was also lobular consolidation scattered throughout the diaphragmatic lobes. There was histopathological evidence of mild enzootic-type pneumonia and also of necrotising bacterial-type pneumonia. Gram stained sections showed that the predominant organism-type in the necrotic areas was a gram negative cocco-bacillus and a profuse growth of mucoid, gram negative, non-fermenting bacillus was obtained on bacteriological culture. Further work is underway on the identification of the isolated organism.

Musculo skeletal conditions

An eight-week-old wild boar was submitted to investigate the cause of marked kyphosis and lordosis ("humpy-back"). The deformity had first been noticed at two weeks of age and no other piglets in the litter were visibly affected. The animal was able to walk with great difficulty and had a swaying, ataxic gait. There was a severe, almost 90 degree, dorsal bend in the spinal column in the anterior lumbar region. Sagittal section of the spinal column revealed that the last thoracic and first lumbar vertebrae were wedge-shaped hemivertebrae, with marked shortening on the ventral aspect. There was no other gross evidence of bone degeneration or fracture. This is believed to be the first reported case of (assumed) congenital lordosis and kyphosis in wild boar in the UK.