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Archive Case #173: Swine Mulberry Heart Disease

Pig veterinary case - Easy - August 23, 2026

Clinical Clues

  1. Well-grown weaner pigs are found dead suddenly, and one live pig is seen gasping and trembling before collapse.
  2. The owner reports the affected pigs were among the best-performing animals in the group.
  3. Necropsy identifies pale streaking in the myocardium and excess fluid in body cavities.
  4. Petechial haemorrhages are scattered over the surface of the heart.
  5. The syndrome is linked to nutritional oxidative damage in rapidly growing pigs.
  6. Vitamin E and selenium deficiency in pigs can cause this peracute cardiac disease.

Diagnosis

Swine Mulberry Heart Disease

This case is most consistent with Swine Mulberry Heart Disease because fast-growing pigs are dying suddenly with characteristic myocardial and epicardial lesions. The most important clues are the nutrition-linked peracute deaths and cardiac hemorrhages, which make an enteric toxin less likely.

Learning review

Review the case evidence

Use the paired clues to explain how the evidence in this pig case supports the provided diagnosis, Swine Mulberry Heart Disease, then compare your reasoning with the case explanation.

Evidence checkpoints

Clues 1-2

  1. Clue 1: Well-grown weaner pigs are found dead suddenly, and one live pig is seen gasping and trembling before collapse.
  2. Clue 2: The owner reports the affected pigs were among the best-performing animals in the group.

Clues 3-4

  1. Clue 3: Necropsy identifies pale streaking in the myocardium and excess fluid in body cavities.
  2. Clue 4: Petechial haemorrhages are scattered over the surface of the heart.

Clues 5-6

  1. Clue 5: The syndrome is linked to nutritional oxidative damage in rapidly growing pigs.
  2. Clue 6: Vitamin E and selenium deficiency in pigs can cause this peracute cardiac disease.

Self-review prompts

  1. After clues 1-2, what evidence from this pig case shaped your initial interpretation?
  2. When you compare clues 3-4 with clues 1-2, what changed in your reasoning about Swine Mulberry Heart Disease?
  3. How do clues 5-6 align with the case explanation for Swine Mulberry Heart Disease?

Educational Use

Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.