What are the prevention and treatment methods for swine erysipelas? Explained clearly in one article

Swine erysipelas is an acute febrile infectious disease caused by Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae (swine erysipelas bacillus). Its main features are high fever, acute septicemia, skin rash patches (subacute), chronic verrucous endocarditis, and skin necrosis with multiple non-suppurative arthritis (chronic). It is relatively rare in intensive pig farms at present, but it has still not been completely controlled and is distributed worldwide. Let us take a look at the prevention and treatment methods for swine erysipelas below!

Symptoms of swine erysipelas

1. Acute type: Acute swine erysipelas is also called septicemic swine erysipelas, characterized by sudden outbreaks, acute course, and high mortality. One or several pigs in the herd die of the disease, and the others then fall dead one after another. The body temperature of affected pigs rises sharply to 42-43.9 degrees, with shivering; some squeal and lie prone, have a stiff gait when driven, some are lame, and a few affected pigs vomit. Some affected pigs show red patches on the skin before death; the redness disappears when pressed with a finger and returns when pressure is released.

2. Subacute type: Subacute swine erysipelas is also called the rash type, characterized by rash patches appearing on the skin surface, commonly known as “branding iron marks”. At the beginning of the disease, there is fever, with body temperature rising to 40-41.9 degrees, loss of appetite, thirst, constipation, conjunctivitis, and in some cases paralysis and vomiting. 1-2 days after onset, flat, raised diamond-shaped, round, or irregular rash patches appear on the skin. The boundary between the rash patches and healthy skin is very clear. The color of the rash patches changes from light red to red, then to dark red, and finally to purple.

3. Chronic type: The main symptoms of the chronic type are arthritis of the limbs or endocarditis, and in some cases both occur together. This type is mostly transformed from the acute or subacute type.

Treatment of swine erysipelas

1. Injection therapy: penicillin and streptomycin 300,000 units, add compound aminopyrine 10-20 ml, mix for intramuscular injection, 2 shots for small pigs, 4 shots for large pigs, twice daily.

2. Infusion therapy: use 10% glucose 500 ml for infusion.

3. Soap bath therapy: apply soap to the rash patches, then scrub with a bristle brush, twice daily.

4. Traditional Chinese medicine therapy: rhubarb, gypsum, Xuanshen, Anemarrhena, Forsythia, earthworm 5 qian each, licorice 3 qian, add water and decoct the juice, take 2 doses consecutively.

5. Acupuncture therapy: acupuncture at Shan'gen, Xueyin, Erlie, Weijian, Bainai and other points also has a good therapeutic effect.

Prevention of swine erysipelas

1. Strengthen management: strengthen the feeding and management of pigs, do a good job in epidemic prevention and sanitation, improve the natural resistance of the herd, pay attention to killing or repelling mosquitoes, flies, and rats and rodents, always keep pig pens, exercise yards, and management tools clean, and disinfect regularly with disinfectant solution.

2. Strengthen quarantine: strengthen transportation quarantine, slaughter quarantine, and inspection at farmers' markets. If diseased pigs or bacteria-carrying products are found, isolation and disinfection should be carried out immediately, and the products should be handled to eliminate the spread of pathogens.

3. Preventive injection: injecting swine erysipelas vaccine according to the immunization program is an important preventive measure.

① Generally speaking, piglets must receive their first preventive injection at 1-2 months of age, and another injection after 3 months of age.

② Breeding pigs should receive a preventive injection once every 6 months, but sows within two weeks after mating, sows in late gestation, and lactating sows should not be injected for the time being.

③ Swine erysipelas bacillus vaccine is a live bacterial preparation, so within 3 days before inoculation and 7 days after inoculation, avoid adding antibiotics to the feed or directly injecting antibiotics into pigs.