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Vetdle Archive

Archive Case #55: Swine Ileitis

Pig veterinary case - Medium - April 27, 2026

Clinical Clues

  1. A group of finishing pigs is underperforming with intermittent diarrhoea and uneven growth rates.
  2. Some pigs are noticeably pale and thin compared with their pen mates.
  3. The outbreak is chronic rather than explosive.
  4. Investigation localises the problem to the distal small intestine rather than the colon.
  5. Diagnostics support a chronic bacterial enteropathy affecting the group.
  6. Swine ileitis caused by Lawsonia intracellularis commonly leads to poor growth, diarrhoea, and chronic production loss.

Diagnosis

Swine Ileitis

This case is most consistent with Swine Ileitis because the pigs have chronic poor growth and diarrhoea with ileal involvement and testing supportive of Lawsonia intracellularis. The most important clues are the age group, production losses, and distal intestinal pattern, which distinguish it from a simple acute enteritis.

Learning review

Review the case evidence

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

Evidence checkpoints

Clues 1-2

  1. Clue 1: A group of finishing pigs is underperforming with intermittent diarrhoea and uneven growth rates.
  2. Clue 2: Some pigs are noticeably pale and thin compared with their pen mates.

Clues 3-4

  1. Clue 3: The outbreak is chronic rather than explosive.
  2. Clue 4: Investigation localises the problem to the distal small intestine rather than the colon.

Clues 5-6

  1. Clue 5: Diagnostics support a chronic bacterial enteropathy affecting the group.
  2. Clue 6: Swine ileitis caused by Lawsonia intracellularis commonly leads to poor growth, diarrhoea, and chronic production loss.

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 Ileitis?
  3. How do clues 5-6 align with the case explanation for Swine Ileitis?

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.