CALGARY – A potentially fatal hog disease striking herds in Alberta and Manitoba has been called an “industry stopper” by one swine specialist.
For Alberta, the outbreak of transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) is the worst veterinarians have seen in 18 years, said Frank Marshall who practices at Camrose.
So far, about 30 Alberta herds, including bio-secure farms have been struck by TGE. Bio-secure farms practice extra high health standards to prevent disease. These precautions include special washes for staff, no unauthorized visitors and disinfecting of pens after each group of pigs leaves an area.
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TGE was reported in more than 20 Manitoba herds last spring and the same number has been diagnosed again this year, said veterinary Mike Sheridan in Manitoba.
Few cases of this killer virus have been detected in Saskatchewan said a spokesman for SPI Marketing Group, the province’s hog marketing board.
More common in winter
TGE is highly contagious and is commonly seen during winter months.
It causes severe diarrhea and vomiting throughout an entire herd. The most susceptible are piglets less than four weeks old, said Marshall.
“The mortalities can range from 35 percent to 100 percent.”
In some barns producers are attempting to support newborns with tube feeding while others have euthanized them to prevent further suffering.
“If these were humans they’d have to be on intravenous fluids to keep them alive,” said Marshall.
“It’s the most depressing thing you could have to deal with because these little guys are going to die regardless of what you do.”
Pork producers throughout Alberta have received warnings and advice on how to curb the disease. TGE is specific to hogs.
Strips intestine lining
In little pigs, the disease strips the lining of the intestines so feed can’t be digested. It takes a newborn about 10 days to regenerate the fingerlike lining, but most will starve to death before that regrowth occurs, said Marshall. An adult pig can regenerate the lining in about four days.
If a pregnant sow contracts the disease during the early stages of gestation, she may reabsorb her litter with no effects on later fertility. The disease has an incubation period of 18 hours to three days and spreads rapidly throughout a barn.
Commercial vaccines have limited effectiveness and some antibiotics are given to prevent secondary infections.
The only method of developing immunity is a “feedback procedure” where pregnant sows are fed feces, intestinal tracts or lungs from infected or dead animals. The material is mixed into their feed rations so they can ingest the virus and produce a natural immunity to the disease. The newborns receive that immunity through the mothers’ milk.
This must be done at the first signs of the disease to reduce later deaths among newborns.
The disease is believed to be carried in feces from TGE infected animals and is spread on people’s boots, shoes, clothes, trucks, feed, rodents, dogs, cats and by birds like magpies and starlings.
Contaminated feed
Vets also speculate some herds have been infected by fecal contaminated feed.
Some management tips include:
- Transport vehicles must be washed and disinfected prior to returning to a farm from a slaughter plant.
- When drivers get out of trucks they should wear disposable boots and coveralls. Prior to returning to the vehicle they should wear clothes that can be washed or disinfected between shipments of hogs.
- Drivers should avoid walking through any holding pens.
- Prevent unauthorized access to pig barns.
- Avoid unnecessary visitors and have people sign in.
- Prevent herd exposure to birds, cats and dogs.
- Chlorinate water supply.
- Barn staff should not share a residence with employees from other swine operations.
- The virus is inactivated by such disinfectants as formalin, phenolics, bleach, iodines, quaternary ammonium compounds, steam or other specific antiviral agents.
