How to treat swine influenza secondary to Haemophilus parasuis infection in pigs

Swine influenza is an acute, highly contagious disease of pigs, characterized by sudden onset and rapid spread through the whole herd. The main symptoms are upper respiratory tract infection, and it generally occurs in winter and spring and when the climate changes abruptly. The disease also often occurs secondary to Haemophilus parasuis infection in pigs.

Outbreak situation

Yang, of Baimaqiao Township, Xiangning County, Shanxi Province, raised more than 40 pigs, including 18 finishing pigs, 11 feeder pigs, and the rest piglets. Because the owner used a swill-feeding method, the farming was also not well developed, and the feeding and management level was relatively poor. In mid-July of this year, the herd suddenly became ill, with reduced or completely lost appetite, fever, and individual sick pigs having difficulty breathing, showing abdominal breathing, and some lameness or weakness in the joints. After the owner found 1 dead, he promptly called us to come for diagnosis and treatment.

Clinical symptoms and pathological changes

The body temperature of the sick pigs rose to 40°C-41.5°C, with mental depression, reduced appetite or no eating, muscle pain, unwillingness to stand, sticky fluid flowing from the eyes and nose, conjunctival congestion, and individual sick pigs had difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, abdominal breathing, and a sitting-like-dog posture. At night, asthmatic sounds from the sick pigs could be heard. Individual sick pigs had joint pain, especially the pigs in better body condition, which were more severely affected.

Necropsy showed that the larynx, trachea, and bronchi were filled with mucus containing bubbles, the mucosa was congested and swollen, sometimes mixed with blood, the pulmonary interstitium was widened, the lymph nodes were enlarged and congested, the spleen was enlarged, the gastrointestinal mucosa had catarrhal hemorrhagic inflammation, and the thoracic cavity, abdominal cavity, and pericardial cavity accumulated fluid containing fibrinous material.

Diagnosis

Based on the outbreak situation, clinical symptoms, and pathological changes, the herd could be preliminarily diagnosed with influenza secondary to Haemophilus parasuis infection in pigs.

Prevention and control measures

1. Strengthen feeding and management, increase the nutritional requirements of the herd, clean the environmental sanitation regularly, and promptly isolate and treat pigs that are already sick.

2. Qingkailing injection + lincomycin hydrochloride injection + potent amoxicillin, at 0.2 ml-0.5 ml per kg body weight, mixed for intramuscular injection, once daily, for 3 consecutive days.

3. Mix antiviral No. I powder (400 kg feed/bag) + doxycycline 300 ppm into the feed and mix evenly. Mix into the feed continuously for 10 days; at the same time, add electrolytic multivitamins to the drinking water. After taking the above treatment measures, the condition was quickly brought under control, and after 3 days the whole herd recovered to health.

Summary

This outbreak in the herd was due to climate change, the owner's crude barns on the farm, and a low level of feeding and management, which led to swine influenza in the herd. At the same time, because the course of the disease was somewhat long, the sick pigs became secondarily infected with Haemophilus parasuis infection. For this disease, feeding and management should be strengthened, regular disinfection should be carried out, and sick pigs should be discovered early and treated early, and medication should be given according to the treatment course.