ACTINOBACILLUS PIG PLEUROPNEUMONIA

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Causative Agent(s)

The causative agent is Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. This is a small, Gram-negative, encapsulated rod with typical coccobacillary morphology. Named originally as Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae.

Clinical Presentation and Epidemiology

The manifestation of clinical signs of the disease manifest depends on the exposure to the infectious agent, age and immune status of the animals and environmental conditions.

The disease occurs in per acute, acute, or chronic forms.

The clinical signs seen in the per acute form are fever, anorexia, vomiting, slight diarrhoea and cyanosis of the skin, nose, ears, legs, and sometimes the whole body.

Terminally the clinical signs that are observed are severe dyspnoea with mouth breathing accompanied by blood-tinged discharges from the mouth and nostrils.

The per acute form manifest death without premonitory signs. Sometimes blood-tinged foamy nasal discharges are seen. In the acute form, the clinical signs observed are fever, anorexia, loss of condition, erythema, depression, abortion, severe respiratory distress, dyspnoea, cough, and mouth breathing. The chronic form usually follows the acute form. The clinical signs observed are little or no fever, intermittent cough, in appetence and exercise intolerance.

Sub clinical cases are known to exist.

 

 

The disease occurs worldwide, often occurring as outbreaks. Pigs that survive the infection end up with sequestra in their lungs which is poorly penetrated by antibiotics and the animals serve as sources of infections in future outbreaks.

The economic importance of this disease is due to the level of mortality in acute outbreaks.

Diagnostic Considerations

This disease should be suspected when clinical signs and gross lesions are present.

The samples for bacterial isolation are lungs, specifically, the apical and diaphragmatic lobes. Confirmation of diagnosis is by culture, identification, and typing of the organism.

Presumptive biochemical identification can be carried out by demonstrating the Christie-Atkins- Munch-Peterson (CAMP) phenomenon and urease activity.

Herd surveillance should be carried out using serological tests such as fluorescent antibody test (FAT), Immunoperoxidase antibody test and Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). These should be used to determine the herd status.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test can be used to confirm the diagnosis and identify the organism.

Management and Treatment

Ampicillin, 10-50mg/ml concentration. Dose 7mg/kg b wt, q24h, 5 days, IM Sulfadimidine, 150 mg/kg b.w., q24h, 3-5 days, IM.

Gentamicin, 6mg/kg b.w., q24h, 3-5days, IM. Cephalosporin, 5mg/kg b.w., single dose, IM.

Response of pigs with this disease to penicillin is inconsistent.

Antibiotic therapy is effective in clinically affected animals only in the initial phase of the disease.

Delay in treatment results in formation of sequestrum, making treatment unrewarding.