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Industry Partners
Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
Emergence of Mucohaemorrhagic Diarrhea Associated with “B. Hampsonii” in Western Canada
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles by admin on January 29, 2014 | No Comments
B. hampsonii can be detected through PCR, a specific culture, and nox-based sequencing at the University of Saskatchewan. 377 samples from Western Canada were tested for the presence of B. hampsonii, or other Brachyspira. Two thirds of the farms were inter-related, and most of the samples were fecal. Brachyspira was found in 59% of samples, B. hampsonii was the most common strain and found in 34% of samples. B. hyodysenteriae was in 11% of samples, B. pilosicoli in 13%, B. murdochii in 9%, and B. intermedia in 4%.
An Investigation into the Effects of Zinc Oxide in Pig Starter Rations on the Persistence of Antibiotic Resistance
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Zinc oxide can inhibit E. coli, and is an alternative solution to antibiotics for preventing post-weaning diarrhea. Some bacteria, like Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), have ZnO resistance and are also carrying the genes for multidrug resistance. Therefore, feeding high levels of ZnO in starter diets could actually be putting pressure on selection for antibiotic resistance in bacteria. A herd colonized by MRSA was used, and at weaning pigs were fed a diet with either 100 or 3,000 ppm of ZnO. Neither group experienced diarrhea during the trial, but the 3,000 ppm group had a significantly higher level of MRSA. This suggest selection for drug resistance in MRSA could be caused by high levels of ZnO.
The Etiological Diagnosis of Diarrhea in Neonatal Piglets in Ontario Between 2001 and 2010
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Neonatal piglet diarrhea is a significant cause of pre-weaning mortality, and has multiple diseases which can cause it. The relative contribution of different diseases has been changing as management, sanitation, and disease strains shift. Neonatal diarrhea occurs most frequently in the winter, and some of the pathogens which cause it include enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium difficile, rotavirus, and Cystisospora suis. 237 piglets with gastrointestinal tract issues were sampled between 2001-2010. 33% had no identifiable pathogen associated with it, but the other 66% showed at least one pathogen. ETEC was found in 31% of total cases, C. perfringens was in 12%, Rotovirus in 12%, C. difficile in 9%, and Cystisospora suis was diagnosed in 6% of cases. Interactions were found between pathogens, and often more than one was present.
Microbiome of the Tonsils of the Soft Palate of Swine – Possible Roles in Health and Disease
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Microbiomes can either help or resist pathogens, but so far little is known about swine tonsil microbiomes – a location with many pathogens. Samples were taken from healthy and unfit swine tonsils and compared. Unfit pigs had a greater diversity of bacteria, and associations were found between the presence of Mycoplasma and illnesses including anemia, abscesses, and PRRS. Both healthy and ill animals had Streptococcus sp., Flavobacteria sp.,Clostridia sp., Lactobacillus sp., Bacillus sp., and Fusobacterium sp. Unfit animals were more likely to have Actinobacteria and Fusobacteria, and healthy animals had more Firmicutes, Spirochaetes, and Streptococcus sp.
Genetic Diversity of Haemophilus parasuis
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Haemophilus parasuis is the cause of Glässer’s disease, and detection is difficult since pigs can be carriers with no clinical signs. A new multilocus variable number of tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) was used, and identified two genetic groups in isolates. Specific serotypes were associated with the genetics groups, but no specific virulence genes were found. Although genetic material could transfer within a group, it did not appear to do so frequently in between groups. The strain that causes Glässer’s disease was identified even though the genes were not.
Spatial Trend for PRRS in Swine Herds in a Control Area
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Spatial distribution of PRRSv was recorded in Watford, Ontario and demographic, biosecurity, and geographical information was collected as well. A clear cluster of positive PRRSv facilities was found, which can be used to develop disease surveillance and strategies for regional elimination.
The Economic Impact of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) on Nursery and Grower-Finisher Production in Ontario
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PRRS is often referred to as the endemic swine disease with the largest economic impact, but few studies have determined the cost in nursery and grow-finish facilities. Cost was determined using records for 6 Ontario facilities, and taking into accout the cost of mortalities and reduced performance. Analysis was done on 0-6 months and 6-12 months post-outbreak, and in all-in all-out and continuous flow facilities. Nursery costs were calculated to be $2,485,831 per year, or $4.50 per pig per year, and grow-finish costs were $1,464,012, or $1.87 per pig. This is much lower than calcualted costs in another study because mortality rates and growth performance were less affected in this study/
Development and Field Trial of Producer Driven PRRS Area Regional Control and Elimination Projects (PRRS ARC&E)
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The PRRS Area Regional Control and Elimination (ARC&E) project will help to manage the most economically expensive endemic pork disease in Ontario. As well, it can be a model for other disease elimination programs, brings transparency and cooperation into importance for disease control, and create solutions that are not available when looking at an isolated farm. Completed developments in the project include confidentiality agreements, data collection, sampling protocol, and communication systems. Areas have been identified, and meetings held to set goals. This has been a producer driven project, and shows the willingness of producers to cooperate towards the common elimination goal.
Participants at Swine Knowledge Transfer Events and Their Information Preferences
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A survey was conducted on knowledge transfer in the pork industry, with respondents from Mike Wilson Research Day, Centralia Swine Research Update, and South West Ontario Swine Conference. The occupation distribution varied between the events with the SW Swine Conference being mainly farmers and farm workers, Centralia Swine Research Update having the highest percent of students and agri-business, and Mike Wilson Research Day having similar percents of farm workers, researchers and students. The preference for knowledge source differed between groups. Farmers and farm workers preferred information to come from veterinarians and agri-business, and in the form of industry magazines and newspapers. Agri-business representatives favoured researchers, government, and in-house training sources, and in the form of online sources, scientific publications, and industry magazines and newspapers.
National Swine Traceability Program
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Traceability of pigs can help traceback and traceforward in the event of a disease outbreak, and minimize the economic, social, and environmental impact. The Canadian Pork Council developed the system PigTrace, which was built on the identification of farms, the identification of animals, and tracking of animal movement. So far producers have registered into the system , been assigned unique tattoos, and been given breeding tags when animals are exhibited. As of July 1, 2014 PigTrace will become mandatory in Canada to further increase traceability.