Welcome to Swine - Animal Sciences UW-Extension
This site has been developed to provide swine producers and others
interested in swine production and related issues access to useful
information and resources.
Pseudorabies Information:
For more information reference the PIG (Pork Information Gateway) to the top right corner.
Pork Industry Handbook Fact Sheet - Purdue University
National Pork Board factsheets
General Swine Information
More Swine Industry Contacts and Related Links
Pig Mortality From PCV-2 Virus Bears Watching
A recent increase in mortality in growing and finishing pigs associated
with porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) infections has prompted veterinarians
to urge pork producers to be on the alert for the possibility in
their own herds.
According to Dr. Peter Bahnson, a swine veterinarian at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, until recently,
PCV-2 was associated primarily with nursery mortality. The syndrome,
often referred to as PMWS, or Postweaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome,
has appeared sporadically in the U.S. The syndrome was first reported
in the prairie provinces of Canada in the 1990s and then spread to
Europe.
In the past 12-18 months, however, mortality attributed to PCV-2
has been reported in older pigs in Canada, especially those 10-15
weeks of age, and primarily in Quebec and Ontario. Veterinarians
attending the recent American Association of Swine Veterinarian’s
annual meeting in Kansas City reported seeing a similar syndrome
of elevated grow/finish mortality in some U.S. herds.
"Wisconsin pork producers and veterinarians should watch
for significant and otherwise unexplained increases in growing/finishing
pig mortality," Dr. Bahnson says. "If this is observed,
it is important to an seek an accurate and timely diagnosis."
He notes that PCV-2 infection is common, and the virus is often
found on farms that are not experiencing the clinical syndrome.
"Identification of the virus is not diagnostic for the syndrome," Dr.
Bahnson says. "You also need to find characteristic microscopic
changes in the lymph nodes."
He notes that there is currently no specific treatment or vaccine
available for PCV-2 infection. However, because the clinical
problems associated with PCV-2 are much more severe when infection
occurs in the presence of other common swine pathogens, control of
non-PCV-2 diseases can be very useful in limiting losses.
There is no evidence that PCV-2 infection presents any public health
or food safety risks.
It is important to note that although the term "wasting" appears
in the name of the syndrome, this virus is not associated with CWD,
or Chronic Wasting Disease, in deer.
For more information on how to recognize and handle this infection
if it occurs in your herd, download the circovirus fact sheet at
the National Pork Boards Pork Science page, http://www.pork.org/PorkScience.
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