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Aivlosin® in pigs
Ileitis / PPE
Ileitis, or Porcine Proliferative Enteropathy (PPE) is one of the most common intestinal diseases of growing pigs. It is caused by the intestinal intracellular bacterium Lawsonia intracellularis, which penetrates and damages the cells lining the ileum and colon.
Based on serological surveys, it is estimated that:
- 80% of all units worldwide are infected with ileitis
- On these farms at least 24% of the pigs tested show signs of Ileitis
McOrist et al (2003) from data presented at 2002 IPVS Congress
Clinical signs
Economic importance
Spread of the disease
Diagnosis
Treatment
Management and control
Clinical signs
Ileitis can be present in three forms - acute, sub-acute and chronic. Clinical signs of the acute form include sudden death, weakness, bloody diarrhoea, tarry stools and anaemia. Poor performance, low weight gain and reduced feed efficiency are common features of the subclinical form of the disease. Chronic signs comprise reduced feed intake and watery diarrhoea that may persist for weeks and are an important part of economic wastage.
Economic importance
The withdrawal of antibiotic growth promoters and reduced copper levels in the EU has increased the importance of the disease. The acute disease is often fatal but the major economic effects of the disease are due to the chronic and subclinical forms that result in failure to thrive, increased susceptibility to other infections, increased morbidity, wastage and reduction of key performance parameters.
Spread of the disease
Ileitis can be transmitted throughout the herd from organisms shed in the faeces, carrier pigs, birds, rodents and contaminated equipment. Environmental stressors such as chilling, overheating and mixing of pigs are implicated in outbreaks of the disease.
Diagnosis
A presumptive diagnosis of Ileitis may be based on clinical signs such as the presence of blood or mucous in diarrhoea, post-mortem examination and microscopic examination of tissue samples of characteristic intestinal lesions. Specific laboratory tests on the intestinal mucosa or faeces may also identify the presence of Lawsonia intracellularis.
Treatment
Affected pigs generally respond well to antibiotic therapy. The most common methods of providing treatment are either into the drinking water or in-feed as a group. Individual pigs can be injected.
Management and control
Management and control of the disease involve reducing the potential for spread of ileitis. Common practices include wash and disinfect all housing, regularly clean away excreta, do not introduce infected pigs into a new group, treat all affected pigs as rapidly as possible.
Aivlosin® has been shown to penetrate the key target (gut epithelial) cells, which is critical to an antibiotic's effectiveness in controlling ileitis, a disease caused by an intracellular organism.
