Main Causes of Death in Piglets from Different Brazilian Nursery Farms Based on Clinical, Microbiological, and Pathological Aspects.

Necropsies can reveal herd problems or comorbidities that can lead to management corrections, improvements in animal performance, and better decision making. Furthermore, the pattern and causes of mortality might differ when different systems are evaluated. The present study was conducted to establish the main causes of death in nursery pigs from different systems in Brazil, as well as the clinical, microbiological, and pathological aspects of these mortalities. Eighteen nurseries were analyzed (a total of 120,243 housed piglets), and 557 necropsies were performed. Streptococcus suis infection was the most prevalent cause of death (21.2%), followed by bacterial polyserositis (16.7%), chronic atrophic enteritis (13.5%), salmonellosis (8.8%), pneumonia (8.6%), and colibacillosis (6.1%). The increase in mortality rate in individual nurseries and, consequently, in the diagnoses was commonly associated with disease outbreaks. Infectious diseases constituted the largest portion of the diagnoses, making a great opportunity for improving production rates in herds. Moreover, the extensive range of observed diagnoses highlights the importance of conducting preliminary diagnostic investigations based on necropsy to determine the causes of death. This approach allows for the direction of complementary tests, which can diagnose agents with greater specificity. As a result, this allows for the implementation of more effective prevention and control strategies.

Acute necrotic hepatotoxicity caused by Melanthera latifolia (Asteraceae) in cattle.

This study aims to report a spontaneous and experimental intoxication in cattle by Melanthera latifolia (Asteraceae) for the first time, and to describe its epidemiological, clinical, and pathological findings. An outbreak of acute toxic hepatopathy in cattle occurred from December of 2021 to January of 2022 in a beef cattle farm from Rio Grande do Sul state, Southern Brazil, and resulted in 94 deaths from a herd of 430 animals. At necropsy, lesions consisted of enhanced lobular pattern of the liver, transmural gallbladder edema, and hemorrhages on the surface of multiple organs. The main microscopic lesion was marked hepatocellular necrosis in the centrilobular region associated with hemorrhage and infiltration of neutrophils. During the outbreak, multiple specimens of M. latifolia were noted in the paddocks where affected cattle were grazing and many showed signs of consumption. No other known acute hepatotoxic plants were found. Two 12-month-old steers were experimentally intoxicated with a single oral dose of the fresh plant (flowers, leaves, and less fibrous stalks). One bovine ingested a dose of 10 g/kg and was euthanized after 48 h, and the other ingested 15 g/kg and was euthanized 17 h later. Clinical signs, macroscopic, and microscopic lesions in both animals were similar to those observed in the spontaneous cases. Thus, this study demonstrates that M. latifolia was the cause of the outbreak of acute toxic hepatopathy with significant mortality in cattle. M. latifolia nor any plant of the genus Melantherahad ever been reported as toxic.

Acute Oral Chromium Exposure Resulting in Ulcerative Gastritis and Perforated Ulcers in Swine.

Heavy metal poisoning poses a challenge in diagnostic practices and environmental safety. This study describes the epidemiological, clinical, and pathological aspects of a chromium (Cr) poisoning outbreak in growing/finishing pigs housed in pens with bedding of pine wood shavings containing Cr. A visit to the affected farm was conducted. Epidemiological data were collected, and necropsy and histopathological examinations and heavy metal quantifications were performed. Up to 30% of the animals from the affected pens displayed clinical signs 48 h after housing, characterized by apathy, rigid gait, distended abdomen, pain to abdominal palpation, fever, vomiting, and skin cyanosis. The lethality rate reached 76.6%. Main postmortem findings consisted of ulcerative gastritis with perforation of the glandular stomach in all necropsied swine. Heavy metal analysis revealed a higher concentration of Cr in the bedding of the affected pens, along with elevated levels of Cr in the livers of the affected swine. Given that Cr is a known cause of poisoning in humans (with acute oral exposure resulting in corrosive lesions in the gastrointestinal tract), this study marks the first diagnosis of acute oral natural Cr poisoning in animals. This diagnosis was established through the association of epidemiological, pathological, and heavy metal quantification data.