Selected Infectious Diseases – Pigs

Purpose

To gain proficiency in the epidemiology, clinical signs, diagnosis and control/eradication of economically important infectious diseases of swine with special emphasis upon transboundary diseases.

Entry requirements

Candidates with a Veterinary, Animal Science (e.g. Agriculture, Zoology, Entomology), or Microbiology degree may enrol for degree purposes.

Coordinator

Dr Mary-Lou Penrith

Other facilitators

Prof Moritz van Vuuren
Dr Jannie Crafford
Dr Jackie Picard

Module structure

Number of candidates allowed

15

Learning outcomes

Bacterial and viral diseases of swine will be dealt with in this module. Particular emphasis is placed on those diseases in bold text:

• Highly contagious diseases that can have a major impact on international trade of swine and pork products or pork products and have serious socio-economic consequences.

a. Classical Swine Fever
b. African Swine Fever
c. Foot-and-mouth disease
d. Aujeszky's disease (Pseudorabies)
e. Swine vesicular disease
f. Nipah and Menangle virus disease

Other contagious diseases of swine that are of socio-economic importance

g. Viral diseases

i. Swine influenza
ii. PRRS
iii. Enteric rota or corona virus infections
iv. Porcine respiratory coronavirus infection
v. PCV-2 infections (PMWS, PDNS, other)
vi. Porcine parvovirus infections
vii. Suid herpesvirus-2 infection
viii. Haemagglutinating encephalomyelitis infection
ix. Encephalomyocarditis virus infection in pigs
x. Infections caused by porcine enteroviruses (Teschen-Talfan and reproductive disorders)
xi. Rabies
xii. Vesicular exanthema of swine
xiii. Swine pox

h. Bacterial diseases

i. Escherichia coli infections
ii. Salmonellosis
iii. Swine dysentery
iv. Lawsonia intracellularis infections
v. Actinobacillosis
vi. Bordetella bronchiseptica infections
vii. Progressive Atrophic rhinitis
viii. Pneumonic pasteurellosis
ix. Glässer's disease
x. Streptococcus suis infections
xi. Exudative epidermitis
xii. Brucellosis
xiii. Swine erysipelas
xiv. Tuberculosis
xv. Leptospirosis
xvi. Clostridium perfringens infections
xvii. Clostridium difficile typhlocolitis
xviii. Listeriosis

i. Mycoplasma infections

i. Enzootic pneumonia
ii. M. suis (= Eperythrozoon suis, Mycoplasma haemosuis)
iii. Other Mycoplasma infections

Parasitic conditions, Chlamydia or Chlamydophilia infections and mycotoxin related diseases are not part of this course.

On completion of this module you will:

• Know the morphological and physico-chemical characteristics of the causative organisms of the listed infections that determine their identification, infectivity, influence their transmission, and can be manipulated for control purposes.
• Know and understand the epidemiology of the (bold ) listed infections.
• Know and understand the pathogenesis to be able to deduce the clinical signs and pathology of the listed diseases.
• Know the epidemiology, clinical signs and macro-pathology to make a diagnostic plan of the listed diseases and to derive an informed differential diagnosis list.
• Know what methods can be used to diagnose the listed diseases in the living and dead animals in order to confirm the diagnosis.
• Know how to interpret laboratory results, i.e. diagnostic tests and descriptive results (e.g. of (immuno-)histopathology), and be able to apply these results for control, treatment and surveillance.
• Apply knowledge of the aetiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical signs and pathology to formulate control/eradication strategies for the listed diseases.
• Know and understand the control/eradication strategies that can be used for diseases at the interface domestic/wild animals.
• List and evaluate the socio-economical factors in different communities that influence the occurrence of the listed diseases and the consequences they may have under extensive and intensive farming systems.
• Know the diseases and risk factors that can play a role in the transboundary spread of infectious diseases.

Learning resources

• References to relevant publications (textbooks, articles, websites)
• Course notes in PDF format
• Videos on CD ROM