The manager of the Canadian Swine Health Intelligence Network reports pork producers that have remained diligent with biosecurity have been successful in keeping their farms free of Brachyspira.
Swine Dysentery, a bloody diarrhea, that affects grow-finish pigs typically over 12 weeks of age, is caused by a bacteria of the genus Brachyspira and a number of species within that genus will cause infection.
Efforts to control Brachyspira were discussed earlier this month as part of the Canadian Swine Health Intelligence Network’s quarterly national meeting to discuss swine health issues.
Dr. Chris Byra, the manager of the CSHIN management team, says the infection can spread from pig to pig or though manure so consequently producers have been focusing stepped up biosecurity.
We are still seeing some new farms so obviously there is still room for improvement.
On the other hand the spread has been very very slow.
There were a couple of cases in Ontario in the first quarter of this year however none in the second quarter.
In western Canada however 27 cases from nine farms were identified from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Of those, 10 were the disease that causes the mucoid bloody diarrhea.
I think for farms that have been practicing good biosecurity in terms of doing your proper change of boots and coveralls and so on going into the barn, ensuring that vehicles that come onto the property have been properly cleaned, disinfected and dried and the movement of pigs have gone through a quarantine and there’s knowledge about what diseases are in the farm that they’re coming from, where those factors have been looked after the disease is not spreading so I think we’re doing a reasonable job.
Dr. Byra acknowledges the high risk areas are the slaughterhouse, through truckers at the slaughterhouse, dealing with deadstock and movement of people in and off the farm.
