Managing Disease in Commercial Swine Production: Costs and Possible Nutritional and Management Practices to Reduce Losses

Abstract Text: Managing disease is easiest if you don't ever allow it in.  Biosecurity measures have been taken to a new level with the introduction of PEDv into the U.S. in April, 2013.  But disease will still have a major influence on production and costs in the future.  Diseases have changed in my 30+ years of practice to be more acute/less chronic.  Also, more major diseases are viral.  Viral diseases such as Influenza, PRRS, PCV2 and now PED dominate the industry.  Influenza, PED and occasionally PRRS seem to move/transfer "at will".  Although PCV2 is well controlled with vaccine, it is the most expensive vaccine to date that has ever been routinely administered to U.S. swine.  PRRS and now PED have added cost to the industry with added biosecurity procedures and infrastructure such as filtration, truck washes, etc.  Disease and nutrition are very inter-related and I feel fortunate that in most of the systems that we work with, there is a "team" approach to health and production.  There is a long list of diseases/syndromes that a team of production specialists, nutritionists and veterinarians work together on to find solutions, such as post weaning diarrhea, ear necrosis, sow lameness, grow-finish ulcers and tail biting.  Performance, efficiency, death loss, labor management, through-put and cost are always barometers.  When I graduated from veterinary college, the major swine diseases were Atrophic Rhinitis, Swine Dysentery, T.G.E., Salmonellosis, Pseudorabies, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Sarcoptic mange.  Disease is still a major limiter of production and the ability to manage disease determines level of success and profitability for today's producers.

Keywords: swine diseases