Abstract
The economic assessment of animal diseases is essential for decision-making, including the allocation of resources for disease control. However, that assessment is usually hampered by the lack of reliable data on disease incidence, or treatment and control measures, and that is particularly true for swine production diseases, such as infections caused by Streptococcus suis. Therefore, we deployed a questionnaire survey of clinical swine veterinarians to obtain the input data needed for a stochastic model to calculate the costs caused by S. suis, which was implemented in three of the main swine producing countries in Europe: Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. S. suis-associated disease is endemic in those countries in all production phases, though nursery was the phase most severely impacted. In affected nursery units, between 3.3 and 4.0% of pigs had S. suis-associated disease and the mortalities ranged from 0.5 to 0.9%. In Germany, the average cost of S. suis per pig (summed across all production phases) was 1.30 euros (90% CI: 0.53–2.28), in the Netherlands 0.96 euros (90% CI: 0.27–1.54), and in Spain 0.60 euros (90% CI: 0.29–0.96). In Germany, that cost was essentially influenced by the expenditure in early metaphylaxis in nursery and in autogenous vaccines in sows and nursery pigs; in the Netherlands, by expenditure on autogenous vaccines in sows and nursery pigs; and in Spain, by the expenditures in early metaphylaxis and to a lesser extent by the mortality in nursery pigs. Therefore, the differences in costs between countries can be explained to a great extent by the measures to control S. suis implemented in each country. In Spain and in Germany, use of antimicrobials, predominantly beta-lactams, is still crucial for the control of the disease.
Highlights
Streptococcus suis is an encapsulated Gram-positive bacterium naturally present in the upper respiratory tract of healthy pigs, mainly in saliva, tonsils and nasal cavities [1]
The main objectives of this study were to estimate the frequency of disease associated with the presence of S. suis infections in pig farms, as well as quantify the main costs associated with the disease in three of the main pig-producing countries of Europe: Germany, the Netherlands and Spain
Differences Between Phases S. suis-associated disease is endemic in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain in all production phases, with differences between countries and phases (Table 1)
Summary
Streptococcus suis is an encapsulated Gram-positive bacterium naturally present in the upper respiratory tract of healthy pigs, mainly in saliva, tonsils and nasal cavities [1]. Pigs are usually colonized by more than one serotype, but only a few virulent strains are responsible for the disease [2]. S. suis can cause disease in suckling piglets and fattening pigs, but most frequently in nursery pigs. The most common clinical signs are meningitis, polyarthritis and acute death [3]. S. suis is a zoonotic agent that may cause severe disease in humans, characterized by meningitis, and sepsis, arthritis or endocarditis [4]. Human S. suis infections were considered rare in the past, but the number of cases reported has increased considerably in recent years [2]
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