Archive Case #43: Swine Dysentery

Clinical Clues

1. A group of grower pigs develops diarrhoea and poor thrift over several days.
2. The faeces become mucoid and then visibly blood-streaked in the worst affected animals.
3. Most pigs remain standing but appear tucked up and unthrifty.
4. The disease seems concentrated in recently mixed pens.
5. Large bowel disease is suspected and testing supports Brachyspira infection.
6. This contagious colitis of grower pigs commonly causes mucohaemorrhagic diarrhoea and reduced growth.

Diagnosis

Swine Dysentery

This case is most consistent with Swine Dysentery because the growers have mucohaemorrhagic diarrhoea with a herd pattern consistent with contagious colitis. The most important clues are the age group, bloody mucoid faeces, and large bowel involvement, which strongly support dysentery over simple dietary scours.

Educational Use

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