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Classical swine fever can affect any animal, regardless of age. As a rule, if the farm is exposed to the plague disease, then almost 70% of the pigs die. After a mass death, large sums of money have to be spent on disinfecting premises, disposing of animals, and conducting quarantine measures. In order to minimize costs, it is recommended to carry out preventive measures to prevent diseases and detect plague at an early stage. This type of disease has received the following name - classical swine fever. This was done so that it was possible to distinguish the disease from the more dangerous species - African swine fever.
General characteristics of the disease
As you know, the study of this disease began for the first time in the United States in 1830-1833. It was possible to prove the viral nature of swine fever in 1903. By this time, signs of swine fever began to appear overseas and in other European countries. The classical plague was first discovered in Russia in 1893.
At first, scientists assumed that this disease was caused by the pathogen - B. Suipestifer. But later, American scientists discovered that the presence of this microorganism dangerous for animals is caused by pig paratyphoid fever. The pathogen appears in the body of animals affected by this disease.
Causative agent
The classic plague is known to be caused by an RNA virus secreted by many sick animals. It is important not only to preliminarily study the manifestations of classical swine fever in the photo, but also to take into account that this virus has a high level of resistance to environmental conditions. The plague virus is able to survive on pig farms for 12 months.
Vitality is observed even in the food of slaughtered animals:
- 300 days in corned beef;
- from 2 years or more in frozen meat products.
The classic plague has several types of virus, among which the following are worth highlighting:
- type A - can cause an acute form of the disease;
- type B - a pathology that can develop in an atypical and chronic form;
- type C - in this case, the disease proceeds without visible symptoms, as a rule, this type is used to prepare a vaccine.
Infection can be carried out by the respiratory route, through defects on the skin. After the virus has entered the animal's body, it begins to penetrate the liver and bone marrow.
In the photo below, you can see signs of swine fever.
How dangerous is the disease
In addition to studying the signs of swine fever in the photo, you need to know how dangerous this disease is from the scientific literature. In this case, it is necessary to understand that swine plague is not dangerous for humans. As a result of the fact that the causative agents of the plague and its varieties are not well understood to date, it is recommended to refrain from eating meat from an infected animal. The virus that infects pigs can mutate and persist in meat products for 150 to 300 days.
As a result of the fact that the classic plague is detected at a later date and it is no longer possible to treat it in this state, veterinary workers, when an epidemic is detected, eliminate infected individuals and all animals that were in close proximity to sick pigs. For farms, the classic plague is a real disaster, as it takes away almost all the livestock.
Forms and symptoms of classical swine fever
It is important to have information not only about the general symptoms and treatment of swine fever, but also about the existing forms of this type of disease. As you know, classical plague can occur in pigs in the following forms:
- lightning fast;
- sharp;
- subacid;
- chronic.
If you understand how these forms differ from each other and how to recognize them, then you can prevent massive infection of animals on a pig farm.
Lightning Plague
As a rule, this form appears only in suckling piglets. During infection, you can observe fever, depression of the animal, vomiting. In some cases, the piglets may fall into a coma or convulse. As practice shows, death occurs 24-48 hours after the first signs of the disease appear.
Acute swine fever
This form is characterized by the following symptoms:
- hyperthermia with an increase in body temperature up to 40.5-42 ° C;
- after 2-3 days, the animals begin to gradually lose their appetite;
- pigs are constantly thirsty;
- chills appear over time;
- vomiting appears;
- constipation is replaced by hemorrhagic diarrhea;
- conjunctivitis appears, the eyelids begin to swell and stick together due to a large discharge of pus;
- the back becomes hunched over, the animals burrow into the litter;
- paresis of the hind limbs appears;
- the urine becomes dark in color;
- small bubbles can be seen on the skin, which are filled with a yellow liquid;
- in addition, one can observe hemorrhages on the surface of the skin, which merge. After a while, the skin becomes crimson. If you press, the stains will not disappear;
- nasal bleeding develops;
- heart damage occurs;
- ears, tail, piglet become blue;
- before the onset of a lethal outcome, hypothermia develops with a temperature regime of 35-36 ° C.
In young pigs, the acute form of classic plague lasts for 7-10 days, abortions will be observed in sows.
Subacid form of swine fever
In this case, the disease can take several forms:
- intestinal;
- pulmonary.
It is important to understand that the subacid form develops in those animals that have developed some resistance to the plague pathogen. The period of illness can last from 2 to 3 weeks.
In the photo below, a weakened animal with signs of classical swine fever.
Intestinal form of plague
In animals, enterocolitis occurs, which in turn is characterized by the presence of fever in pigs, stool retention. After the condition is replaced by diarrhea, lack of appetite.
Pneumonic plague
With this form of the disease, the development of pneumonia is observed in pigs, as a result of which a severe cough and shortness of breath appear. Piggies, in order to reduce the level of pain experienced, assume a sitting position, like dogs. If the animals have pneumonia, it can be fatal.
Chronic plague
As a rule, the chronic form of classic plague appears on those pig farms where pigs are vaccinated, but there are some violations in the norms of maintenance and diet. First of all, all weakened animals are exposed to the disease. The duration of the disease can vary from 60 days or more. The following signs of classic plague can be observed in infected animals:
- coughing;
- interruptions in appetite - at first it completely disappears, after a while it appears again;
- eczema appears;
- the animals look emaciated.
As a rule, the chronic form of classical plague completely weakens the animal, as a result of which the pigs become maximally susceptible to paratyphoid fever and pasteurellosis.
Swine Fever Signs at Autopsy
After the infected animal has died and no signs of illness have been identified, an autopsy is usually performed. In this case, classical swine fever can be detected by the following signs:
- on the skin there is a large number of hemorrhages, which differ in configuration and size;
- the lymph nodes are hypertrophied, have a dark bloody tint, when you cut you can see the marbling;
- there are spots on the lungs;
- an autopsy reveals hemorrhages on the heart;
- if you look at the signs of plague in pigs in the photo after opening, you can see that there are hemorrhages on the kidneys of a small size of a light shade;
- if the death occurs in the subacute form, then you can see buboes characteristic of the plague on the intestinal mucosa.
An autopsy can reveal classical swine fever, while excluding the African form (the most dangerous), dysentery and erysipelas.
Can swine fever be cured
It is important to understand that with classical swine fever, pigs have a low survival rate, which makes this disease much more dangerous. If it is necessary to destroy the plague virus, it is guaranteed to help in only one way - increasing the temperature regime. The virus dies immediately during boiling, and at a temperature of + 75-80 ° C only for several hours.
In order to get rid of the virus, it is recommended to use a 2% formaldehyde solution and a solution of bleach. It is possible to cure pigs only in the early stages; in the future, the number of deaths can vary from 60% to 100%.
Control measures
In the event that signs of distemper in pigs were detected in the early stages, it is necessary to immediately carry out treatment, using in this case hyperimmune serum. As practice shows, the effectiveness of the drug used largely depends on the stage of the disease.
Today, each farmer has the opportunity to purchase a developed pharmacological complex of drugs, using which the largest number of livestock can be saved. The most important thing is to understand and identify the classic plague in time, and then immediately take appropriate measures to further treat infected animals.
Prevention measures
In order to prevent such a disease on the farm, it is recommended to resort to preventive measures:
- protect the farm from attacks by wild animals;
- timely disinfect the premises in which the pigs stay;
- send new animals to quarantine beforehand;
- subject food to heat treatment, disinfect water.
The main method by which it is possible to prevent a number of infectious diseases, including classical swine fever, is a vaccine. The most effective are complex vaccines, which in the process of ongoing research have shown themselves to be the best.
It is recommended to vaccinate adults every 10-12 months, piglets should be injected on the 50th and 75th day of life, using 2 ml of the drug. It is recommended to start vaccinating sows 20 days before the intended mating.
Conclusion
Classical swine fever is harmless to humans, but it poses a particular danger to farms.This is due to the fact that the mortality rate can even vary from 60 to 100%, as a result of which the pig farm will suffer significant damage. To prevent the onset of the disease, it is recommended that the disease be prevented in a timely manner.
