A field evaluation of Nobi-Vac atrophic rhinitis vaccine.

A field trial was carried out with Nobi-Vac AR vaccine in 11 swine breeding herds. One herd suffered from severe B. bronchiseptica (BB+) rhinitis in piglets, while no clinical Atrophic Rhinitis (AR) was observed. Ten herds were described as AR problem herds, because clinical AR was observed for at least 1 year in spite of the fact that medication of sows and piglets was carried out and adequate housing and management systems were available in most herds. BB+ was isolated in 9 of these 10 farms and the AR pathogenic P. multocida (PM+) in all these farms. The trial started when piglets were born of sows which had been vaccinated 3 times. All piglets between 7 and 10 weeks old were examined clinically for AR. Nasal swabs from 20 pigs on each farm were screened bacteriologically for BB+ and PM+ every other month. A severe reoccurrence of AR was found in 2 of the 10 AR problem farms. In these 2 herds the 'all in-all out' system was not applied in farrowing and weaning houses. In the 8 other AR problem herds the percentage of pigs with AR decreased significantly below the average level of 1% per year. The percentage of pigs infected with BB+ and PM+ also decreased significantly. PM+ was significantly related to the percentage of clinical AR piglets. Seasonal effects contributed to a minor extent to the percentage of AR piglets. After 2.5 years of this trial PM+ could not be isolated during the last 12 months in six of the remaining AR problems herds. The conclusion is that Nobi-Vac AR vaccination of the sow gave protection against clinical AR in piglets on those farms (80%) which provided adequate housing and management systems.

[Use of an oxytetracycline nasal spray in the treatment and prevention of atrophic rhinitis in piglets (author's transl)]. / Het gebruik van oxytetracycline-HCl neusspray bij biggen ter bestrijding en preventie van atrofische rhinitis.

The piglets of two multiplier herds (M and B) showing clinically apparent atrophic rhinitis (AR) were treated by the nasal-spray method. A solution of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC, 50 mg/ml.) was used as a spray fluid. The course of the disease in the herds was followed by studying the development of foreshortening of the upper jaws in the heads. Brachygnathia superior (BS), from the eighth to tenth week of life. Efforts were made to gain an impression of the effects of treatment on the frequency with which Bordetella bronchiseptica and Pasteurella multocida were isolated by bacteriological examination of the nose. Treatment by the nasal-spray method up to an age of approximately five weeks, of seven weeks were treated at least once weekly. The proportion of animals in which the disease was clinically apparent decreased from 25 per cent to 0 per cent in herd M and from 41 per cent to 0 per cent in herd B. Treatment by the nasal-spray method up to an age approximately five weeks, in which feed medicated with OTC was also given up to the age of eight to ten weeks also had a satisfactory effect. The frequency with which Bordetella bronchiseptica and Pasteurella multocida were isolated, was reduced by treatment, elimination of these agents was not.

[Effect of various preparations of iron on the growth and haemoglobin levels of newborn piglets (author's transl)]. / Effect van diverse ijzerpreparaten op groei en haemoglobinewaarden bij pasgeboren biggen.

Four preparations of iron dextran, which differed markedly in price, were compared in an experimental study. 100 or 200 mg. of iron were injected intramuscularly on the first, second or third day of life of the piglets. Differences in weight or concentration of haemoglobin were not detectable during the first eight weeks of life, neither at a dosage of 100 mg. nor at a dosage of 200 mg. of iron.

Vaccination with Bordetella bronchiseptica vaccine on a farm with atrophic rhinitis: an evaluation of a field experiment.

On a farm where Atrophic rhinitis (AR) occurred the animals were vaccinated with a Bordetella bronchiseptica vaccine. The immune state of the sows was checked and also the effect of this vaccination on the antibody titre of the piglets. Groups of pregnant sows were vaccinated once or twice before the partus, another group of sows only had their piglets vaccinated and a third group were used as control. The serum titres of the sows were low, not higher than 1:100 before vaccination. A double vaccination of the pregnant sows induced the piglets to produce antibodies in a sufficiently high titre during the first 7 weeks of life. Vaccination only against Bordetella bronchiseptica did not protect the piglets against AR. Piglets of the vaccinated sows showed two types of titre progress. It is not recommended to vaccinate the piglets only. The rapid plate agglutination was found extremely useful for the early diagnosis of Bordetella bronchiseptica infection.

Treatment with oxytetracycline hydrochloride in the prevention of atrophic rhinitis in baby pigs.

Atrophic rhinitis (AR) caused serious losses in a breeding herd including approximately 120 sows. The extent to which piglets were affected by AR was assessed by determining the degree of shortening of the upper jaw. Animals showing a crooked nose or grade two or more of shortening of the upper jaw were considered to be clinically positive. Grades three and four of the upper jaw were observed in those animals which were severely affected by Atrophic rhinitis. Treatment of all piglets up to about eight weeks of age by the antibiotic oxytetracycline hydrochloride directed against the bacteria Bordetella bronchisepica and Pasteurella multocida was successful in reducing the proportion of clinically affected piglets from 30 per cent to 0 per cent within eight weeks. There was found to be a positive relationship between the proportion of piglets infected with the two above bacteria at an age of about five weeks and the incidence of shortening of the upper jaw at an age of about eight weeks. The proportion of piglets with shortening of the upper jaw rose following a marked increase in the number of piglets in farrowing and flat-deck houses and as a result of the supply of inadequately medicated feed.