Credits:Biovision-Infonet
Parasitic diseases
Parasites are divided into external and internal parasites.
Internal parasites (Worms)
Worms are one of the most serious threats to pig keeping. There are more than 30 types affecting the intestines of pigs. The most important are the intestinal roundworm, the lung worm, the whip worm and the tape worm.
1) Roundworm
Roundworms live in the gut and take food from the pig. The pig can therefore become thin.
Symptoms:
- Anorexia (loss of appetite) in advanced stages.
- Anaemia (loss of condition).
- Weight loss in later stages.
- When the worms die suddenly after treatment, they can block the gut and cause sudden death.
Prevention:
- Control with medicine in the food is useful and provide clean and dry pens.
- Separation of young ones from adults.
- Washing sows before farrowing.
- If pigs are allowed outside, rotational grazing and periodic resting of pastures to allow disinfection.
Treatment:
- Periodic deworming
- Herbal treatment: herbs such as Moringa are considered to be antihelmintic ( able to kill intestinal worms)
2) Whipworm
Symptoms:
- Anaemia
- Haemorrhagic diarrhoea causing anaemia
- Weight loss
Prevention and treatment:
- Deworming
3) Lungworm
Symptoms:
- Coughing
Prevention
- Deworming
- Clean pens
Treatment:
- Riperol (or Levamisole) injections are used in treatment, but are may be difficult to obtain in many places.
4) Tapeworm (measles)
Pork measles is caused by tapeworms which live in the muscles of pigs. They do not usually affect the pig, but can lead to pain and the pig may find it difficult to move around. When people eat undercooked measly pork, the worms develop inside the people, and can make them very sick.
Symptoms:
- Poor growth
- Rough grey hair coat
- Swollen belly
- Emaciation
- Anaemia
Prevention
- Prevent the pigs from wandering about where they can feed on human faeces
- Make sure that people working with pigs use toilets (hygiene and sanitation)
- Deworming
External parasites
External parasites include mange, lies and myiasis (see below).
Mange
It is caused by small parasites called mites that live in the skin. They provoke severe itching and irritation.
Symptoms
- The pig becomes itchy, and scratches and rubs against the walls of the sty and other objects with the skin between the legs, around the eyes, ears and neck being principally affected.
- The coat looks dull, and there are bare patches, heavy crusts, and lines on the body that look like ribs
- Restlessness and itching which can be very severe
- Red pimples on skin, which turn into crusts and scabs. Later the skin looks very rough, is thickened and covered with flakes scratching. Skin may show red spots or bite wounds
- Thick skin and rough hair coat
- Anaemia in severe cases especially in piglets
- Death in severe cases
Prevention:
- Wash the sow before farrowing at least twice at a one week interval.
- Inspect and examine gilts carefully upon entering the farm, and treat them if necessary.
- Examine the animals before serving and treat them if relevant.
- Wash all pigs at the beginning of fattening if mange is already a problem.
- General cleanliness.
(c) S. Gikonyo, Kenya
Treatment:
- Remove scales and dirt with soap and water and a stiff brush.
- Afterwards the pig should be washed with organophosphate compounds. Repeat this treatment several times
- Ivermectin injection is a very effective treatment against mange and all other parasites. Spraying the animals with cattle dip also kills many parasites on the skin
- Herbal treatment: Smearing with coconut oil can be an effective control in cases of light contamination
Lice
These are blood suckers that also cause irritation of the skin.
Symptoms
- Itching
- Skin may show red spots or bite wounds.
- Thick skin and rough hair coat.
- Anaemia in severe cases especially in piglets.
Prevention:
- General cleanliness
- Examine piglets before putting them in fattening house, and treat if relevant. Fatteners don’t need to be treated
- Examine gilts before first service, and treat if relevant
- Examine boars twice a year, and treat if relevant
- Examine new stock on arrival and seven days later. Piglets below three weeks should not be treated. Treat if it is found relevant.
Treatment:
- The insecticide benzene hexachloride is a very effective remedy (0.1 – 0.25% solution) against lice. Treatment should be repeated after 7 days since the insecticide only kills adults and not eggs.
- Lice can be kept away to a certain extent by planting a pole sturdily in the ground at an angle of 45deg with an old sack wound around it immersed in crude oil or used motor-oil.
Myiasis
Disease caused by flies, which lay eggs in the wounds. The eggs hatch into larvae which live and feed on the flesh and fall off when they mature, creating more wounds.
Symptoms
- Infected wounds look very wet and dirty and the edges can be covered with a grey mass which are the eggs of flies.
- Later on, larva can be seen as screw-shaped pinkish worms crawling through the wound.
- The pigs show annoyance and try to find a shady place.
- Death may occur.
Prevention and treatment
- Clean the wound daily with water and disinfectant then apply insecticide on wound to cover edges too.
- Best working insecticides are the long-acting ones e.g. diazinon or supona. Whenever using insecticides, check with the organic standards whether it is allowed, and minimize it as much as possible, and seek alternatives.
- Good mange control program to prevent wounds smooth walls and floors.
- Do not use sharp objects.
- Avoid overcrowding to reduce fighting.
- Tail docking, ears notching and castration should be handled properly and the umbilical cord disinfected.
General recommendation
1) Deworming
- Boars – every 6 months
- Sows – 2 weeks before farrowing and after weaning
- Piglets – 1 week after weaning
- Fatteners – 1 week after weaning and 3 months latter
- Gilts – 1 week after weaning, at 3 months and at 7 months of age and at least 2 weeks before service.
2) Control of Lice, Fleas, Mange
- Scrub sows with Gamma BHC insecticides four days before farrowing.
- Clean and scrub the farrowing pens before use.