Don’t Leave the Door Open to Ileitis

If you don’t have an ileitis prevention plan in place at your finishers, work with your veterinarian to develop one. Don't leave the door open to such a costly and preventable pathogen.
If you don’t have an ileitis prevention plan in place at your finishers, work with your veterinarian to develop one. Don't leave the door open to such a costly and preventable pathogen.
(PORK)

There are not many topics over which all pig farmers in the U.S. would agree, but two things they would agree on are: no one likes dead pigs; and the worst type of dead pig is a market-sized pig. 

Death loss in market hogs is frustrating for farmers. It’s difficult to move a market-weight dead pig out of a pen, and it’s also a significant loss in feed, labor and animal health expenses when a pig goes on the compost pile instead of the truck. 

Because everyone agrees with these points, all producers need to have an ileitis plan in place the day a weaned pig arrives at their farm. 

About Ileitis

Ileitis breaks generally occur in the weeks prior to and around the time of marketing. They manifest as both sudden death loss in good animals; and fall out, pallor and brown to red or black stools in the general population. Ileitis generally has significant costs in loss of pigs, medication of remaining animals, and changes to marketing plans to accommodate treatment plans and withdrawal periods. In general, ileitis breaks are some of the most costly disease issues I see regularly in the finishing period.

Tools are Available

The good news is there are many tools available for prevention of ileitis. These tools fall into two categories. The first is prevention via vaccination. There are two vaccines on the market for effective ileitis control. The second plan is a medication-prevention strategy. Medication plans are generally not my first choice for ileitis prevention. Based on research out of the Pipestone Applied Research (PAR) barn, medication plans are not as cost effective. In addition, with the pressure on the industry to be responsible when using antibiotics, it is difficult to justify significant use of medically important antibiotics when excellent vaccines are available. 

Having said that, I do believe there is a time and place for the use of preventative medication plans.  image

Preferred Strategies

My first recommendation is to use a vaccine strategy. Both vaccines, in my clinical experience, and from the Pipestone Applied Research (PAR) data, are efficacious. There are pros and cons to each. 

The BIVI Enterisol Ileitis vaccine has been on the market the longest. It is extremely easy on labor to complete the vaccination process, as it is run through a water medicator. The person vaccinating the barn does need to be educated on the product and does need to follow certain protocols to make sure the product reaches the pig in an appropriate state. Because the product is a modified live vaccine, it cannot be run through the medicator at a time when there are any antibiotics in either the feed or water. There must be a non-medicated window in which to administer the vaccine. 

The Merck Porcilis Ileitis product is newer to the market. It is administered via a 2 cc injection in the neck. Although the product requires more work in terms of labor, it does not require a non-medicated window to administer the product. 

Depending on the facilities, care givers, health status and a range of other factors, producers tend to choose one vaccine over the other and stick with it. My field experience is both are effective. 

Don’t Leave the Door Open

Despite the excellent tools available for mitigation of ileitis concerns, I am still involved with diagnosis and treatment of dozens of ileitis cases each year. Those cases are extremely costly to the caregiver and owner of the pigs. 

If you don’t have an ileitis prevention plan in place at your finishers, please work with your veterinarian to develop one. Leaving the door open to such a costly and preventable pathogen is ill advised.   

Written by Cara Haden, DVM, at Pipestone Veterinary Services. If you have any questions regarding ileitis control please contact her at 
cara.haden@pipestone.com or a swine specialist at 507-562-PIGS (7447).

Read more from Pipestone: 

How to Control Strep Suis 

Learn the Facts Before Making Assumptions About Antimicrobial Resistance

Putting Antibiotic Use in Perspectives

 

 

 

Latest News

Shofner Uses Artificial Intelligence to Ensure Boar Semen Quality
Shofner Uses Artificial Intelligence to Ensure Boar Semen Quality

How can next-generation boar sperm analysis address the current shortcomings in sperm quality assessment? Iowa State University grad student Ian Shofner is exploring how artificial intelligence can help.

State Pork News: Don't Miss These Headlines
State Pork News: Don't Miss These Headlines

Here's a round-up of news from state pork producer organizations.

Hogs and Pigs Report: How Will Increase in Pigs Saved Per Litter Impact the Pork Outlook?
Hogs and Pigs Report: How Will Increase in Pigs Saved Per Litter Impact the Pork Outlook?

Of all the numbers in the latest USDA Hogs and Pigs Report, the number that caught economists’ eye was pigs saved per litter. Here's why Steve Meyer, Ever. Ag senior economists, says this is a number to watch.

Why You Need to Understand How USDA Purchase Programs Work
Why You Need to Understand How USDA Purchase Programs Work

With pork producers facing prolonged economic headwinds, recent USDA commodity purchases of pork offer relief at pivotal times. It’s important to understand how these programs work, says NPPC president Lori Stevermer.

Get the Facts Straight on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Get the Facts Straight on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

Now that the mystery illness impacting some dairy herds has been revealed as the same strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza that has been impacting the U.S. poultry flock, pork producers are asking questions.

Merck Introduces Sequivity with Microsol Diluvac Forte Adjuvant Prescription Vaccine
Merck Introduces Sequivity with Microsol Diluvac Forte Adjuvant Prescription Vaccine

Merck Animal Health announced it has received license approval from the USDA for Sequivity with Microsol Diluvac Forte adjuvant prescription vaccine for use in gilts and sows.