How to prevent and treat piglet edema disease? Detailed methods

Piglet edema disease is an acute, sporadic infectious disease of weaned piglets caused by hemolytic Escherichia coli. Because affected pigs mainly show edema of the eyelids and hyperemia of the conjunctiva, it is also called "red eye disease." Since autopsy reveals obvious edema under the gastric mucosa and in the colon mucosa, the disease is called edema disease.

Epidemiology

This disease occurs mostly a few days after weaning, and can also occur in four-month-old piglets. It often has a high incidence in relatively robust piglets, and the mortality rate after onset is also very high. Carrier sows are the main source of infection for this disease.

Causes of the disease

1. Feces from carriers contaminate feed, drinking water and the environment; after ingestion, direct infection occurs through the digestive tract.

2. After piglets are weaned, if the feed is too simple, the protein content is too high, and vitamins and minerals are lacking, it easily leads to nutritional imbalance, disruption of the body's flora, and massive proliferation of Escherichia coli, causing edema disease.

3. Stress factors (group transfer, transport, climate change, etc.) can also cause this disease.

Clinical symptoms

Piglets suddenly become ill. At the beginning, diarrhea or constipation appears, and after 1-2 days the course of the disease suddenly accelerates or death occurs. Affected pigs have weak limbs and ataxia; some affected pigs kneel on the forelimbs with the hindlimbs standing upright, suddenly leap forward, and when caught, suddenly fall to the ground and make swimming-like movements with the limbs. In affected pigs with slightly milder disease, there is listlessness, poor appetite or complete loss of appetite, and most have no fever.

Pathological changes on autopsy

1. Autopsy commonly shows subcutaneous edema of the face, conjunctiva and gums, presenting as grayish-white jelly-like edema.

2. Gastric wall edema is commonly seen in the greater curvature and cardia, with a layer of gelatinous edema between the mucosal layer and the muscular layer.

3. In some affected pigs, edema is also often present in the mesentery of the large intestine, rectum, gallbladder and larynx.

4. The small intestinal mucosa shows diffuse hemorrhagic changes.

5. The mesenteric lymph nodes are congested, or even hemorrhagic.