Enteric Health Checklist
Improving pig performance relies on maintaining as much growth potential as possible. Management, health, and nutrition are important factors that “permit” pigs to reach their highest level of performance. The concepts of enteric and respiratory health focus on that potential — determining how management techniques and animal health products help pigs reach the mark.
Limiting enteric diseases
Those diseases that damage enteric health typically injure the lining of the intestine, leading to poor utilization of nutrients. One exception is E. coli in suckling and newly weaned pigs, which has toxins that produce disease. Growing and finishing pig losses are almost entirely due to gut damage.
The number one source of enteric health problems is the pig itself! Diseases like ileitis, salmonellosis, and colitis are spread by contaminated feces from one pig to another. When manure is transported from barn to barn, or not removed between groups, the cycle continues and losses mount. Cleaning and disinfecting is the number one tool to limit the impact of disease on enteric health.
People have a direct role when they move contaminated materials into other groups of pigs. Clothing and boots are simple but effective vectors to spread disease. Boot brushes and water hoses with nozzles to provide adequate pressure are the best tools to remove manure. A dirty bootbath, even with a disinfectant in it, is worthless! Just walking through a bootbath with dirty boots is also a waste of time.
Controlling rodents is important in maintaining enteric health as well. For diseases like swine dysentery and salmonellosis, rodents are directly involved in the infectious process, harboring the organism over time. For other diseases, they may simply be mechanical carriers of disease from barn to barn. Effective rodent control includes routine baiting and trapping, cleaning up feed spills, and trimming weeds and rocking around building foundations to discourage digging.
Lastly, effective cleaning and disinfecting lowers the dose of infectious agents that remain as new groups of pigs enter. Removing all organic matter before disinfecting is critical. Disinfectants are rapidly neutralized by residual manure and feed. Read labels for proper dilution rates and use recommendations. For example, formalin based products need a floor temperature of at least 65° F to be effective. Rotation of disinfectants to allow for use of these products only in warm months would be one method to improve enteric health with a simple management change.
Productivity and quality are linked
Reducing exposure to these enteric pathogens improves enteric health, leading to improved growth and throughput. Reducing the level of Salmonella exposure, for example, from a common level of 30% to <10% can improve output up to 40#/pig space/year. That kind of productivity improvement can mean the difference between profit and loss! This Salmonella exposure is also linked to contamination of carcasses, a food safety risk.
Improving enteric health improves the quality and productivity of the growing pig herd. With improved management and the Enterisol
Application
Barn level tools
Simple methods improve sanitation and performance. Several common tools improve performance and reduce the risk of introducing disease into a group of pigs:
- Spray hose, nozzle, and boot brush — to completely remove manure from boots. Removing manure is as effective as using a disinfectant bath.
- Biofilm — This shiny, slimy layer sticks to feeders, etc. It also harbors dangerous bacteria and viruses. Until this film is removed, a barn isn't clean.
- Dust — Infectious agents also survive in dust, reinfecting new groups of pigs. This includes dust on rafters, ventilation bags, fan blades, etc.
As with many things in life, performance is in the details! Doing the little things right can pay off with big rewards.
More information
Swine Health and Epidemiology — Special Biosecurity Issue. National Institute for Animal Agriculture. www.animalagriculture.org.
Baum D. PhD Thesis. 1997. Iowa State University.
The risk of salmonellosis and new aspects of control. www.salinpork2001.com
Producers
Producers welcomed to IPVS in Ames, Iowa
The worldwide web allows producers access to a global supply of information. Now the world is coming to Ames, Iowa for the biannual International Pig Veterinary Society meeting. Topics on pig health, food safety, and production will highlight the three day seminar in Ames, Iowa, June 2-5. For more information, contact the American Association of Swine Veterinarians:
Email — ipvs2002@aasv.org
Web — www.ipvs2002.vetmed.iastate.edu/home.asp