Inflammation of the testicles is a relatively rare complication of mumps (mumps). Although mumps itself is considered a harmless disease, inflammation of the testicles can cause male infertility. However, this does not mean that every man who experiences such complications will be infertile.

In turn, even if this happens, the possibility of successful treatment remains. However, it is of great importance prevention of mumps First of all, vaccinations that will help avoid this serious disease.

What is testicular inflammation with mumps?

Mumps usually develops in childhood. It is caused by an RNA virus from the paramyxovirus family. Symptoms of mumps are fever, swelling of the salivary gland, which is located at the bottom of the mouth under the tongue in front of the ear, on the outside of the cheek, above the jaw.

Mumps most often affects young children, although susceptible adults can also develop the disease. The older the patient, the more acute the disease and the higher the risk of complications. Possible complications of mumps include pancreatitis, meningitis and testicular inflammation.

Inflammation of the testicles after mumps rarely occurs in children, however, it appears in 20-30% of cases of mumps in boys during puberty. The inflammation usually affects only one testicle.

The complication is characterized by an acute inflammatory process of the gland pulp. Its consequence may be degeneration and atrophy of the epithelium of the seminiferous tubules, which contains sperm-forming cells. In more than 50% of men who have had testicular inflammation after mumps, the function of sperm production in the affected testicle is lost.

Inflammation of the testicle usually appears 3-6 days after swelling of the salivary glands. Symptoms of this complication include high body temperature, severe pain and swelling of the testicles. Treatment of postmumps inflammation of the testicle includes, first of all, taking glucocorticoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Inflammation of the testicles in mumps and infertility

It is worth remembering that testicular inflammation in mumps does not mean infertility. Although this complication is likely, not every man will become infertile. It should also be remembered that infertility is a condition that can be cured.

The most common damage that occurs during mumps in a man is damage to the cells that produce sperm in the testicles. This is manifested by a reduced number of sperm in the ejaculate.

The prognosis for infertility is much worse when the inflammation spreads to both testicles. In this case, if the damage is irreversible, sperm production will not occur in the human body.

Recently, more and more men in the world suffer from mumps after 20 years. This is most likely the result of failure to vaccinate against mumps.

In Russia mumps vaccination included in the compulsory vaccination calendar. At 13-14 months of life, the child is given an associated vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella; at the age of 10 years, the child receives an additional dose of the vaccine.

Edema disease (colienterotoxemia) is an acute infectious disease of piglets, mainly weaned piglets and characterized by damage to the central nervous system, digestive organs, the appearance of edema in various organs and tissues of the piglet, impaired coordination of movements, convulsions, paresis, paralysis, congestive hyperemia of the skin of the piglet, ears , limbs and abdomen.

The causative agent is enteropathogenic beta-hemolytic strains of Escherichia coli, which produce B-hemolysin. E. coli is quite stable in the external environment; in water, soil, manure and livestock buildings it can persist for 1-2 months; when heated to 76 degrees, E. coli is destroyed in 15-20 seconds. Conventional disinfectants destroy E. coli within minutes.

Epizootological data. The lesion occurs mainly in piglets aged 8-12 weeks, after weaning from sows. During an acute outbreak of the disease, isolated cases of illness and death are observed in suckling piglets and among fattening pigs. Moreover piglets with good body condition are more susceptible to edema disease. The disease usually appears suddenly on a farm, more often in the warm season, and can recur on a farm for several years in a row, accompanied by high mortality (from 20 to 100%).

The duration of edema disease on the farm depends on time and practiced on the farm weaning method piglets, as well as from feeding conditions in the pre- and post-weaning periods. Usually, most often we see an outbreak of edematous disease in period of round farrowing during weaning of piglets from sows and it continues from 1 to 3 weeks.

Edema disease characterized by its sudden appearance among weaned piglets with the onset of symptoms swelling of the eyelids and paresis of the limbs leading to the death of piglets. The disease of piglets with edema disease mainly occurs with 7th to 20th day after weaning piglets from a sow. The disease continues 7-10days and stops as suddenly as it appeared.

Predisposes to the disease of piglets with edema disease - concentrated type of feeding, early weaning of piglets from sows lack of exercise, imbalance of the diet in microelements.

On a pig farm source of infection hemolytic Escherichia coli are bacteria-carrying sows and piglets obtained from them.

Pathogenesis. Edema disease develops as a result of rapid proliferation of hemolytic Escherichia coli in the intestines of piglets, as a result of developing acute intoxication of the body with bacterial and feed toxins formed in the intestines. In piglets, vascular disorders occur due to acute heart failure, a decrease in albumin occurs in the blood, leading to a deterioration in the retention of water in the bloodstream and its release into the surrounding tissues, as a result of which edema appears in various organs and tissues of the piglet.

Swelling of brain tissue causes in a piglet nervous disorders, which appear - convulsions, paralysis, ataxia, decreased sensitivity, etc.

Clinical signs. Incubation (hidden) period in sick piglets it lasts several hours (6-10 hours). The disease usually begins in the pigsty spicy.

The first clinical signs, depending on the age of the piglets, are manifested by a disorder of the gastrointestinal tract in younger piglets, and in older piglets - symptoms of damage to the nervous system. Most scientists include the appearance of symptoms as the earliest signs of the onset of edematous disease in piglets. swelling of the eyelids and head. According to the form of its course, edematous disease is usually distinguished as hyperacute, acute and chronic.

Hyperacute course edematous disease is characterized sudden death of piglets. The attendants in a group of weaned piglets, where the day before all the piglets were practically healthy and ate well, find the corpses of well-fed piglets in the pens the next morning. In the future, cases of sudden death of piglets are recorded by service personnel during the day. This is how the enzootic edematous disease begins on a pig farm or complex. Practically simultaneously in cells piglets appear with symptoms of edema and central nervous system disorder.

Acute course- is the most common form of edema disease in piglets. The disease begins with increase in body temperature to 40.5-41o C and development nerve phenomena. In piglets, they are especially pronounced swelling of the eyelids, gait becomes unsure, shaky, muscle tremors appear; sick piglets bury themselves in the litter; When examining such piglets, we note that they have arena movements which are joined paralysis of limbs. As a result of sharp sound stimulation, sick piglets shudder, until they develop epileptic seizures. Cardiac activity is disrupted, tachycardia appears - up to 200 beats per minute. Breathing is rapid and difficult. As a result of the weakening of cardiac activity in piglets before death, we note the development congestion (cyanosis of the patch, neck and abdominal area). The ultimate cause of death for a piglet is asphyxia. The acute form of edematous disease lasts from several hours to a day, the mortality rate is from 90 to 100%.

Chronic course happens in pigs more older age groups, and in permanently unfavorable farms due to edematous disease in piglets. Such sick piglets have a depressed state, weakened appetite, and there are cases of laying. Piglets that have had the chronic form sometimes recover on their own. Piglets that have recovered from this form of edematous disease sometimes experience complications in the form of - lameness, neck curvature. Such piglets in the future are lagging behind in development and growth.

Pathological changes. When autopsying piglets that died from edematous disease, they have good nutrition. In the area of ​​the snout, ears and lower abdomen we find stagnation. At autopsy we find swelling in the subcutaneous tissue of the eyelids, around the eyes, in the forehead, base of the ears and back of the head, in the abdominal organs.

When opening the thoracic and pericardial cavities, we reveal increased amount straw color liquid with fibrin flakes. When the lungs are cut, a foamy liquid mixed with blood flows out. Under the pleura, epicardium and endocardium we find isolated pinpoint hemorrhages.

The abdominal cavity contains an increased amount yellowish liquid with fibrin flakes, fibrin threads are also found among intestinal loops. Stomach wall, especially in the pyloric area thickened and swollen, up to 2-4 cm or more. The stomach is often filled with dense, dry, crumbly food masses. The vessels of the mesentery along their entire length injected and edematous. The mesentery is more severely swollen between the loops of the colon - while gelatinous fluid completely covers the intestinal loops. The mucous membrane of the stomach and small intestine is swollen, sometimes hyperemic with hemorrhages. The mucous membrane of the large intestine is diffusely hyperemic with hemorrhages. More often, veterinary specialists register edema in animals that were forced to die.

Lymph nodes, especially mesenteric lymph nodes, are enlarged, swollen, juicy, colored on the section mosaic in bright red color, granular. Lungs are edematous, in a state of congestive hyperemia. Under the pleura hemorrhages. Heart – enlarged, under epicardial and endocardial hemorrhage. In the liver and kidneys we note venous congestion, dystrophy.

Diagnosis. The diagnosis of edematous disease is made based on symptoms characteristic of the disease, autopsy data and results laboratory research with highlighting beta-hemolytic Escherichia coli.

Differential diagnosis. When diagnosing edematous disease, piglets must be excluded , epizootic encephalomyelitis,, , , feed and salt poisoning, vitamin deficiencies and. Aujeszky's disease is characterized by disturbances in nervous activity, high mortality and damage to suckling piglets. During autopsy, there is only pulmonary edema, in the absence of edema of the stomach wall and mesentery of the colon; in addition, during autopsy of piglets that died from Aujeszky, we find foci of necrosis in the liver the size of a millet grain.

Enzootic encephalomyelitis, in addition to damage to the nervous system, is accompanied by vomiting with the release of viscous saliva from the oral cavity. In addition, due to paralysis of the bladder, the bladder is full of urine.

The final diagnosis is made for Aujeszky after performing a bioassay on young cats and rabbits, and with enzootic encephalomyelitis - on piglets.

We exclude listeriosis based on the autopsy results and the absence of small, yellowish-whitish foci in the liver, lymph nodes and spleen, predominantly affecting suckling and weaned piglets. During bacteriological examination we isolate the pathogen - listeria.

In case of poisoning of piglets with table salt, upon autopsy we find only inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.

When piglets are poisoned with gossypol, the piglets show signs of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.

Immunity has not been studied enough. A aluminum hydroxide formol vaccine has been proposed from 9 strains of different serogroups of Escherichia coli.

Treatment. Treatment of piglets with edema disease should be started as early as possible, when the first signs of the disease appear (lethargy, refusal to feed, increased body temperature, swelling and redness of the eyelids). At the pigsty we organize and conduct regular examinations and thermometry piglets 5-8 days before weaning and for the first time 10-15 days after weaning. All identified we separate sick piglets into separate pens, with abundant bedding, we form small groups in the pens. Sick piglets for 8-12 hours appoint starvation diet, using laxative salts. To reduce intoxication we give magnesium sulfate 25-40g per dose. At the same time, piglets should have free access to water. Add to drinking water 5-7% Glauber's salt. To free the intestines from feces containing endotoxins and histamine of microbial origin, we do deep enemas. In the diet reduce the amount of concentrates by half. We administer intramuscularly to sick piglets as an antihistamine. diphenhydramine in the form of a 1% solution 2-4ml morning and evening. With the aim of reducing the porosity of blood vessels we give sick piglets inside 5-10% solution of calcium chloride, a tablespoon twice a day. Some veterinary specialists, instead of calcium chloride, intraperitoneally or intramuscularly inject a 10% solution of calcium gluconate in a dose of 15-20 ml, with the addition of 10 ml of a 1% solution of novocaine. To suppress the development of beta-hemolytic Escherichia coli orally to sick piglets for the treatment of edematous disease antibiotics are used, including modern cephalosporins and sulfa drugs. Given the selective sensitivity of hemolytic Escherichia coli to antibiotics, before prescribing a course of antibiotic therapy, it is necessary determine the sensitivity of an isolated E. coli culture to antibiotics. Some farms are getting good results from combination therapy - antibiotics with vitamin B preparations(B1, B12 - intramuscularly 2 times a day.) or with anti-stress medications(aminazine, diphenhydramine, prednisolone). To enhance diuresis, reduce the activity of cellular barriers and accelerate the release of toxic substances through the blood, sick piglets are prescribed hexamethylenetetramine (urotropin) in the form of a 40% solution 10ml 1-2 times a day intraperitoneally.

To restore the normal microbial landscape in the intestines and strengthen the antagonist of Escherichia coli - lactic acid microorganisms, we give sick piglets orally acidophilus broth culture 50-60 ml three times a day.

We administer to severely sick piglets heart medications(caffeine sodium benzoate under the skin - 1 ml of a 10% solution, cordiamine - 0.2-0.3 ml twice a day), for nervous phenomena(convulsions) we administer subcutaneously or intramuscularly 0.5-1 ml of 30% analgin solution.

Prevention and control measures. Successful control of edematous disease in piglets on the farm will be effective only with strict implementation of a whole range of zootechnical and veterinary measures. For these purposes, farm specialists need to organize complete and varied feeding of sows and piglets, paying special attention to vitamin and mineral nutrition. Reduced to pig herd diet necessary balance protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Of great importance in prevention is timely training of suckling piglets beginning from 7-10 days of life for feeding. At pig-breeding complexes, compound feed is used for this purpose. SK-11-14. In small farms, suckling piglets from 10-15-days of age We give mineral and vitamin supplements: chalk, bone meal, fish oil, grated carrots, yeast, hay meal, clover hay leaves, etc.

In order to prevent the effects of stress on piglets from sows we take away gradually, leaving them at the weaning site 10-15days and only after that they are transferred to another room for rearing. We feed the piglets the same feed as before weaning from the sow. The temperature should be the same as in the last days of the suckling period. In pig farms, usually during an outbreak of edema disease in piglets, they resort to feeding various medications and their mixtures, transferring the piglets to a certain feeding regimen. At large pig-breeding complexes, the following medicinal mixture is usually used: for 100 kg of feed, take 5 kg of sugar, 60 g of biomycin hydrochloride, 40 g of furozolidone, 200 g of sulfadimizine, 20 g of copper sulfate and 10 g of tylan. We feed this mixture daily for the first 8 days after weaning.

In mild cases diseases of piglets edematous disease sometimes occurs it is enough to translate weaned piglets on a restrictive feeding regimen: within 5-8 days, we transfer the piglets to feeding half the amount of feed or prescribe a starvation diet on the first day of weaning, followed by an increase in the diet to normal within 5-7 days. After each feeding of piglets, pig farmers must thoroughly clean the feeders and buckets of food residues, rinse them with boiling water and dry them. We constantly maintain cleanliness in the pigsties, carrying out daily mechanical cleaning of the premises from manure.

Manure from pigsties should be supplied to a manure storage facility for biothermal disinfection and subsequently used as fertilizer. When piglets become ill, we carry out routine disinfection in the pigsty at least once a week until the disease stops and the animals die. The following disinfectants are used: 3% sodium hydroxide solution at a temperature of 60 degrees; a solution of bleach with an active chlorine content of at least 5%, a 20% aqueous suspension of freshly slaked lime; 4% formaldehyde solution; 5% creolin solution. Recently, for high-quality disinfection of premises at complexes, it has been used modern disinfectant VIROCID. By using this product at a pig-breeding complex, you will carry out high-level disinfection with an effectiveness close to sterilization. This product can be used for disinfection in several ways: aerosol, spray, foam generation, cold fog, fumigation.

Working concentrations VIROCIDE: used for wet disinfection 0.25-0.5% solution (consumption 0.25-0.4 l/m2) during gassing 1 liter of VIROCID per 4 liters of water, the solution is sprayed onto 1000 cubic meters. The working solution is neutral, so subsequent rinsing is not required. If farm specialists need to carry out disinfection in the presence of animals, they must first contact specialists on this issue RABOS Intl LLC.

Before lifting restrictions on edema disease, we carry out piglets into the pigsty premises thorough mechanical cleaning and final disinfection with quality control of the disinfection performed.

In a farm unfavorable due to edema disease, we introduce restrictive measures, under the terms of which we prohibit the sale and movement of pigs from a dysfunctional pigsty until 1 month has passed after the last case of death of piglets from edematous disease or provided that all piglets have recovered.

Pigs are raised to produce high quality lard and meat. They are omnivores and grow very quickly. It is on these biological characteristics of animals, as well as on the use of intensive technologies, that modern pig farming is based.

But this can be prevented, for example, by edema disease in piglets or simply edema. This is a serious disease of young animals, which can negate all the efforts of pig farmers to breed livestock.

Information about the causes, characteristic manifestations and methods of combating edema will be useful to those who are already breeding or are just thinking about having pigs.

General information about the disease

Edema (colienterotoxemia) is an infectious disease of pigs of bacterial origin, occurring in an acute form. It most often affects weaned piglets (approximately 2–3 months). The disease is characterized by damage to the central nervous system of animals, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, the occurrence of edema of the tissues of the head and internal organs, and cyanosis.

It may be limited to isolated cases, but sometimes half of all young animals on the farm are sick. The disease is fatal in 90% of cases, but some young animals survive. Treatment of colienterotoxemia is difficult and does not always end positively.

The first cases of edematous disease in piglets were recorded in Ireland in 1938, after which the infection began to quickly spread in Europe, the USA and Canada. After the 60s, edema disease became known in our country, periodically occurring on farms where the conditions of keeping and weaning of grown livestock from sows were grossly violated.

The causative agent of the infection is beta-hemolytic enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. The source of infection is an adult pig that has recovered from this disease.

Seasonality and time of weaning of piglets do not matter. The first signs of the disease appear a week before or 2–3 weeks after the animals are weaned from their mother. Older piglets, as a rule, do not get sick.

The provoking factors for the onset of edematous disease are considered to be:

The sanitary condition of pigsties is of great importance in the occurrence of edematous disease. In dirty, uncleaned pens, infection of piglets occurs much faster, since in such conditions all the prerequisites are created for the spread of the microorganism with manure, food and water.

Once in the stomachs of piglets, the bacterium multiplies there, releasing beta-hemolysin as its metabolic products. This substance destroys the membranes of red blood cells - erythrocytes, as a result of which reduced hemoglobin penetrates into the blood serum, which provokes the appearance of cyanosis.

The process also involves the cardiovascular system of piglets; the level of albumin protein in the blood serum decreases. This leads to increased capillary permeability and slow leakage of fluid into the surrounding tissue. Swelling increases, and at the same time, intoxication of the piglets’ body also increases. Without proper treatment, the situation worsens and ends in the death of the animal.

The diagnosis of edema disease is made on the basis of clinical studies, autopsies of dead piglets, and bacteriological analysis data. The duration of colienterotoxemia in piglets may vary from person to person.

It all depends on the speed of pathological processes in the body of a particular animal. On average it is 10 days. Without veterinary care, edema ends in the death of piglets in the first few days, although in rare cases self-healing is possible.

If edema disease is detected in piglets, the farm is quarantined. At this time, it is prohibited to sell your own animals or buy animals from other farms for at least 1 month after the outbreak of the disease has been eliminated.

Symptoms of edema in piglets

Edema disease can occur in 3 forms, each of which has its own characteristics. In order not to miss an outbreak of the disease on your farm, as well as to provide timely assistance to sick piglets, you should know that the course of the disease can be hyperacute and acute.

The first case is characterized by rapid development of the pathological process, but a complete absence of visible symptoms. A sick piglet is no different in appearance from its healthy counterparts. He eats food normally, is active and behaves naturally. But suddenly it all ends with the death of a young pig.

Only a laboratory can confirm or refute the diagnosis. Swelling during this period cannot be controlled, since the development of pathology from the moment of infection to death takes only 5–10 hours.

The disease is most often recorded in its acute form. A sick piglet's body temperature rises to 41-42C, the eyelids or the entire head swell. He lies buried in the bedding all the time, or walks unsteadily and trembles. Convulsions and paralysis of the lower extremities are observed, and vomiting or short-term diarrhea are sometimes possible.

The animal becomes irritable, reacts sharply to loud sounds, and in some cases epileptic seizures may occur. The piglet's heart rate is rapid (up to 200 beats per minute), breathing is intermittent, chesty. The skin in the area of ​​the snout, neck, abdomen and limbs is bluish in color. Over time, signs of heart failure, gastroenteritis and general depression of the body intensify.

Without assistance, the piglet dies from asphyxia after 1–3 days. At autopsy, characteristic edematous changes are found in the conjunctiva of the eyes and eyelids, in the tissues of the ears and forehead; inflammation of the gastric mucosa and small intestines; serous infiltrate in the mesentery and colon; swelling of the lungs, liver, membrane and white matter of the brain, overflow of its vessels with blood.

In the atypical form of colienterotoxemia, edema is mild or does not appear at all. The predominant manifestations are from the cardiovascular and nervous systems, as well as the gastrointestinal tract.

Older weaned piglets or piglets that have previously suffered an acute form of the disease are characterized by a depressed appearance. They suffer from lack of appetite for a long time or do not eat the food offered well. Animals stand out from their healthy relatives by lameness, a crooked neck and abnormal head position, and a sharp lag in development.

The outcome of edema disease in weanlings depends on how timely treatment was started, as well as on the preventive measures taken by the pig farmer to prevent the infection from spreading in his farm.

Treatment and prevention of edema in piglets

There are currently no specific drugs for the treatment of swine edema disease, as well as its prevention. Treatment is carried out with antibiotics, cardiac and diuretic drugs, and antihistamines. Before starting therapy, suspicious piglets are immediately isolated from the rest of the herd. They are transferred to a separate pen, left on a starvation diet, but are not limited in access to clean water. To cleanse the piglets' intestines of toxins produced by bacteria, they are given an enema.

Drug treatment of edematous disease in piglets is carried out using the following drugs:

For the first 1–2 days, recovering piglets are fed with easily digestible feed, reducing the usual dose by half. Over the next 2–3 days, the amount of food the pigs receive is adjusted to normal.

Since the treatment of edematous disease is ineffective, preventive measures are of great importance, which can minimize the likelihood of death of livestock. For this:

If edema is suspected, treatment with antibiotics and other drugs is prescribed to the entire piglet population. After completing a course of therapy, fermented milk products and acidophilic drugs are added to the diet to restore suppressed microflora in the intestines.

Content:

The disease is caused by a hemolytic variety of Escherichia coli. Weaned piglets suffer. The nervous system and digestive organs are affected. Swelling of the skin, abdomen, ears, and limbs occurs, accompanied by convulsions. The disease has a high mortality rate. This article introduces pig farmers to the causes, main symptoms, methods of treatment and prevention of enterotoxemia in piglets.

Causes

Edema disease of piglets occurs when the parameters of keeping sucklings under sows are violated, as well as mistakes made by the livestock breeder during the weaning process. The main cause of the disease is unsanitary conditions and low indoor temperatures.

Traditionally, piglets were switched from liquid diet to solid feed at two months of age. This made it possible to achieve no more than 1.9 farrows per year from the sow. Modern enterprises are competitive if they wean their cubs at 4–5 weeks of age. In this case, it is necessary to observe the following rules of maintenance and feeding:

• The sow is transferred to another place, and the piglets are left in the pen.
• The temperature in the pigsty is 24 °C or higher.
• From 5–7 days, piglets are fed with prestarter feed.
• After weaning, babies consume starters or dietary medicinal feed mixtures.
• The change of diets occurs gradually, over 5–7 days.

If zoohygienic parameters are not observed and the feeding is improper, the disease can affect sucklings, as well as piglets in the nursery group. When edema occurs, it is not malnutrition that suffers, but, first of all, the most active animals who consume more food, which becomes a breeding ground for pathogenic microbes.

Pathogenesis

The greatest danger comes from feeding pigs of all production groups with the same feed mixture. The enzyme system of the stomach and duodenum of piglets is not adapted to digest such feed. At the other extreme, in pursuit of weight gain, farmers oversaturate the diet with protein components, which aggravates the situation. The enzymes in the distal part of the alimentary canal of piglets do not digest proteins; they reach the caudal part and become food for hemolytic races of Escherichia coli, which inhibit other microorganisms.

Undigested fragments of protein molecules, as well as metabolic waste from pathogenic bacteria, are absorbed into the blood, causing a toxic effect on the body. The ratio of whey protein components changes, and its water-holding capacity is disrupted. Moisture rushes into the surrounding textures, causing swelling, and the piglet's blood thickens, which disrupts the functioning of enzyme systems.

Forms of edematous disease

The following types of disease progression are noted:

• lightning;
• acute;
• chronic.

Lightning fast

Observed mainly in suckers. The piglet dies suddenly, without visible symptoms. His littermates may develop an acute form of the disease, but it is more common in weanlings.

Acute

Clinical signs appear suddenly in pigs; the pathogenesis goes through several phases of development. First, the piglet’s body temperature rises, which returns to normal a quarter of a day later. Over the next half hour, edema syndrome develops. It starts from the eyelids, covers the space between the jaws, the snout, and the back of the head. Diarrhea, vomiting, unsteady gait occurs, and nutrition stops. The piglet exhibits muscle tremors, head twitching, and convulsions. The next phase of the development of the disease is characterized by a depressed state, paralysis, disturbances in the functioning of the myocardium, and tachycardia occur - up to 200 contractions per minute.

Death occurs 3–18 hours after the first swelling appears. Weanlings and those being raised can live 2–5 days. The survival rate of sick piglets is about 10%, while those who have recovered from the disease lag behind in development. The peak incidence occurs 7–21 days after weaning.

Chronic

The disease develops among piglets in the rearing group. Gilts have already developed an immune system, so the disease is not fatal. The disease is characterized by lethargy, drowsiness, and poor appetite. Piglets grow slowly and often develop a crooked neck and lameness.

Diagnostics

The cause of the disease is determined based on the following data:

• clinical symptoms;
• autopsy materials;
• laboratory diagnostics.

Autopsy materials

During post-mortem diagnosis, the following pathological changes are detected:

• cyanosis of the snout, ears, abdomen;
• swelling of the muzzle and limbs;

• the mucous membrane of the anterior part of the intestine is hyperemic;
• the stomach wall is swollen and thickened;
• lymphadenitis of mesenteric nodes;
• pulmonary edema;
• degeneration of the liver parenchyma;
• the presence of exudate in the cavities of the body.

Laboratory diagnostics

Bacteriological seeding of the pathological material is carried out and a hemolytic strain of Escherichia coli is isolated.

When diagnosing, it is necessary to exclude some diseases with similar symptoms:

• pasteurellosis;
• listeriosis;
• Aujeszky's disease;
• plague;
• enzootic encephalomyelitis;
• salt poisoning;
• vitamin deficiencies.

Treatment

Animals with severe symptoms - swelling and seizures - are not subject to treatment. Piglets that have become stale are isolated from apparently healthy ones and transferred to a semi-starved diet or fed with dietary feed. Antibiotics are injected, preferably Neomycin, Cephalosporins or Sulfonamides. They give saline laxatives - Sodium sulfate decahydrate. Coagulants are used, preferably intravenous administration of Calcium chloride, antihistamines and cardiac drugs - Suprastin, Cordiamin, etc. Multivitamin injections are indicated. To accelerate the removal of toxins, hexamethylenetetramine is used intraperitoneally. The pain is relieved by injection of Analgin. Dysbacteriosis that has developed as a result of the use of antibacterial agents is eliminated by the use of probiotics or acidophilus.

Prevention

Preventive measures pig diseases consist in compliance with the requirements for the maintenance and feeding of piglets during suckling and during weaning. Pregnant pigs are given vaccination against edematous disease 50–55 days before farrowing. Vaccination is repeated 2-3 weeks after the first injection.

Special feed intended for weaned piglets have the greatest protective effect. The recipe is presented in the table.

The following types of feed are used for piglets:

• prestarter - 5–8 kg;
• post-weaning - 8–12 kg.
• For growing:

1. 12–20 kg;
2. 21–30 kg.

If, while keeping and feeding parameters are observed, the piglets still become diarrhea, use dietary feed that meets the following requirements:

• A low percentage of protein, less than 17%, prevents an increase in the pH of gastric juice.
• The presence of animal protein - fish meal, milk powder.
• Low calcium content to prevent neutralization of gastric acidity.
• A mixture of organic acids (fumaric, formic, sorbic) to reduce pH.
• Probiotics, prebiotics.

We must not forget about carrying out regular disinfections and maintaining cleanliness in the premises, optimal temperature and other animal hygiene requirements. After each feeding, the feeders are cleaned of residues, washed with hot water, and dried. A quarantine is imposed on the farm, which is lifted a month after the death of piglets stops.

Conclusion

The pig farmer must know that edema disease occurs when the rules of keeping and feeding are violated, and poor farming practices occur. There is no escape from the transition of pig farming to early weaning, otherwise the enterprise will become uncompetitive. If the farm has a feed mill, feed mixtures are prepared according to special recipes. Otherwise, you need to purchase feed for weaned piglets.