This material is for informational purposes only. You cannot definitively diagnose the cause of respiratory disease just by looking at affected pigs. Please consult your veterinarian for a diagnosis and proper treatment

Growing/Finishing Respiratory Diseases

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP)	Enzootic pneumonia Mycoplasma & Pasteurella	Swine Influenza	PRRS virus
Pseudorabies virus	Porcine respiratory corona virus	Atrophic rhinitis	Inclusion body rhinitis

Secondary infections such as Streptococcus suis, Haemophilus parasuis, or Salmonella can infect the pig when one of the above mentioned diseases are already present.

1. Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP)

Signs: Dependent on stage of disease

Peracute:

Sudden onset of severe illness
Pigs found dead with no clinical signs of disease
Fever, off feed, difficulty breathing, open mouth breathing
Bloody foam coming from nose and/or mouth

Acute:

Fever, depression, off feed
Coughing
Difficulty breathing, open mouth breathing

Chronic:

Off feed
Decreased average daily gain

Necropsy:

Blood, necrotic(= dead) debris, and fibrin( yellow strands of material) around lungs
Blood tinged fluid in the thorax
Bloody foam in trachea and lung airways
Abscesses

Treatment: Consult your veterinarian

Prevention:

Match health status of new herd entries with that of your herd
Isolate new herd additions for at least 30 days
Optimize temperature
Proper ventilation
Avoid overcrowding
Minimize mixing of animals
Segregated early weaning
Vaccination available, consult your veterinarian

2. Enzootic Pneumonia

(Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae with Pasteurella multocida)

Signs: Dependent on agents involved

Mycoplasma infection only:

Dry cough that lasts 6 - 8 weeks
Mild symptoms

Mycoplasma with Pasteurella

Moist cough with phlegm produced
Thumping, difficulty breathing
Fever, off feed, weight loss
Death

Necropsy:

Mycoplasma only

Lower front portion of lung affected
Firm, purple gray areas of collapsed lung
Distinct margin between affected and unaffected lung

Mycoplasma and Pasteurella

Pneumonia with pus evident
Fibrin attached to the outside of the lungs

Treatment:Consult your veterinarian

Prevention:

Vaccination for Mycoplasma, consult your veterinarian
All in all out, do not mix animals that are greater than 2 weeks apart in the same air space
Improve sanitation
Reduce dust and humidity
Proper ventilation
Do not overcrowd
Optimize temperature
Keep a separate sick pen for poor doing pigs

3. Swine Influenza

Signs:

Dry, hacking, "goose-honk" cough that worsens with activity
Sudden onset of symptoms
Discharge from eyes and nose
Fever, weakness, weight loss, unwillingness to move
Pigs piling up, chilled with fever
Difficulty breathing, open mouth breathing
Most of herd affected
Should recover in 5 - 7 days unless secondary infection involved

Necropsy:

All or just lower front portion of lung may be affected
Lungs are red, wet, and heavy with distinct areas of purple, firm, collapsed lungs
Enlarged bronchial and mediastinal lymph nodes

Treatment: Consult your veterinarian

Prevention:

Avoid stress (overcrowding, moving, mixing)
Vaccinate if there is a high level of secondary infections, consult your veterinarian
Antibiotics to prevent secondary infections, consult your veterinarian

4. Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS)

Signs:

Fever, off feed, weak
Variable signs of respiratory disease, coughing, sneezing due to secondary infections
Reduced average daily gain, poor performance

Necropsy:

Mild lesions unless a secondary infection has occurred

Treatment:Consult your veterinarian

Prevention:

Clean up environment
Vaccination available, consult your veterinarian
Antibiotics in feed to prevent secondary infections, consult your veterinarian
Match health status of new entries to that of your herd
Isolate new herd additions for at least 60 days, test for PRRS

5. Pseudorabies

Signs:

Can be similar to influenza/mycoplasma
Fever, weak, off feed
Coughing, and "thumping"

Necropsy:

Pneumonia, may also see lesions in the nose, tonsils, liver, and kidneys.

Treatment:Consult your veterinarian, reportable disease

Prevention:

Eradication - test and remove, consult your veterinarian to develop a plan of action
Antibiotics in the feed to prevent secondary infection, consult your veterinarian

6. Porcine Respiratory Corona Virus (PRCV)

Signs:

Usually a very mild disease, but can beome severe when in combination with other bacterial and viral infections
Difficulty breathing, increased respiratory rate
Weakness
Secondary infection can occur

Necropsy:

No gross lesions usually seen
May consolidation or discoloring of the lung

Treatment: Consult your veterinarian

Prevention:

Optimize environment
Antibiotics in feed to prevent secondary infection, consult your veterinarian

7. Atrophic rhinitis

Bordetella bronchiseptica and Pasteurella multocida

Signs:

Sneezing
Reddened eyes and staining of the skin around the eye
Yellow to white nasal discharge
Crooked snout
Bleeding from nostrils

Necropsy:

Loss of nasal passage structure
Red and swollen nasal passages
Crooked and irregular nasal bones
Blood in nasal cavity

Treatment:Consult your veterinarian

Prevention:

Vaccines are available
Consult your veterinarian
Segregated Early Weaning

8. Inclusion body rhinitis

Porcine cytomegalovirus

Signs:

Can be similar to atrophic rhinitis
Off feed, weak

Necropsy:

No gross lesions seen

Treatment:Consult your veterinarian

Prevention:

No vaccine, once infected have lifetime immunity
Optimize environment
Antibiotics in feed for secondary infections, consult your veterinarian