Abstract
A cross-sectional study of lungs from 1,887 randomly selected pigs from 471 farms from two provinces in the Philippines was carried out to estimate the prevalence of gross pathological lesions, identify potential risk factors and spatial clustering associated with high lung or pleurisy score farms. Lungs from pigs were scored at slaughter. Interviews with the farm managers were conducted to collect information about farm management and biosecurity practices. Of lungs examined, 48% had a lung score above 6 (maximum was 55) and 22% showed pleurisy. When data were aggregated at the farm level, commercial farms were at higher risk of being high lung score farms and high pleurisy farms compared to smallholder farms (P < 0.01). Variables that were associated with an increased risk of a farm being a high lung score farm included the presence of a market pen on the farm, not vaccinating against hog cholera and the presence of another piggery within 500 m. Practicing “feedback” (feeding pig manure, viscera or aborted material to pigs), presence of another piggery within 500 m, and allowing commercial livestock vehicles on farm were all associated with an increased risk of being a high pleurisy farm. Spatial analyses revealed a primary 9.6 km-radius cluster of 39 farms with high lung and pleurisy scores in the southeast of Bulacan province. High lung and pleurisy score farms could be targeted to improve on-farm disease control programs to reduce the risk of respiratory diseases. Clusters of high scoring farms could be prioritized for further investigations or for coordinating intervention efforts.
Highlights
IntroductionScoring pig lungs for gross pathological lesions at slaughter is a non-invasive tool to monitor herd health, allowing the recognition of chronic lung lesions and active respiratory disease occurring late in the pig production cycle [5]
Clinical observations and slaughterhouse surveys have shown that the respiratory disease complex (RDC) is still a major concern for pig producers worldwide [1, 2], adversely affecting growth rates and increase morbidity and mortality among affected herds [3, 4].Pulmonary Lesions in Slaughter PigsScoring pig lungs for gross pathological lesions at slaughter is a non-invasive tool to monitor herd health, allowing the recognition of chronic lung lesions and active respiratory disease occurring late in the pig production cycle [5]
The aims of this study were to (a) estimate the prevalence of gross pathological lesions in lungs from slaughter-age pigs using lung scores; (b) identify and quantify potential risk factors associated with farms with high lung and pleurisy scores; and (c) investigate the spatial clustering of farms with high lung and pleurisy score
Summary
Scoring pig lungs for gross pathological lesions at slaughter is a non-invasive tool to monitor herd health, allowing the recognition of chronic lung lesions and active respiratory disease occurring late in the pig production cycle [5]. Catarrhal bronchopneuomnia and pleurisy, affecting the cranioventral lobes and the pleural membrane of the pleural sac, respectively, are the most frequent lung lesions encountered at slaughter [6, 7]. The United Kingdom adopted a national surveillance scheme to record gross pathology consistent with major respiratory pathogens such as M. hyopneumoniae and A. pleuropneumoniae (i.e., consolidation and pleurisy) at routine meat inspections [9]. The results are recorded in a database and information is relayed back to herd-owners quarterly to alert them of likely infection status and to encourage implementation of disease control measures on affected farms
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
