Farmscape for February 19, 2013

Information collected through the Canadian Swine Health Intelligence Network suggests more attention should be paid to strep suis.
Launched on behalf of the Canadian Swine Health Board in July 2012, the Canadian Swine Health Intelligence Network allows swine veterinarians across Canada to share information on disease issues developing in their regions.
In the network's latest quarterly review, streptococcus suis and other strep infections have been identified as one of main the reasons veterinarians were called to farms.
Dr. Chris Byra, the manager CSHIN's management team, explains strep suis is a common bacterial infection that can be found on many if not all swine farms.

Clip-Dr. Chris Byra-Canadian Swine Health Intelligence Network:
It can affect baby piglets all the way through to about eight to ten weeks old.
Infections later are more rare and it can sometimes cause an overwhelming infection and kill the pig.
One of the common symptoms is meningitis but it also can cause arthritis and a few other conditions.
The organism is passed from the mother to the piglets and in most cases they develop immunity to it.
If too much of it is picked up by any particular piglet some die from it, some end up with meningitis and there's some other conditions.
In the autumn we often get a flare-up of this disease and it is related to temperature fluctuations.
This year, particularly in eastern Canada but right across the country, we've seen much more variation in temperature going from plus 10 to minus 20 quite quickly and it's very difficult to ventilate barns under those conditions.
Also trucking pigs could have that similar effect under those conditions.

Dr. Byra says the trend confirms what veterinarians already knew about strep suis and probably indicates we should be putting more efforts into control.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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