Spotting Erysipelas in Swine
The Ontario Animal Health Network (OAHN) swine network identified a trend in the bacterium erysipelas and communicated its findings to prevent future outbreaks of the disease.
In spring 2017, the Ontario Animal Health Network (OAHN) swine network noted that confirmed cases of erysipelas in Ontario pigs had increased over the previous three quarters. Erysipelas is caused by a bacterium that produces septicemia and chronic lesions in pigs. It can also affect other species such as sheep and turkeys, as well as humans. Several types of vaccines are available and routinely used in swine to prevent the disease, but during that time period, a supply shortage of one of the vaccines may have contributed to increased incidence of the disease.
The OAHN swine network identified this trend in erysipelas from various information sources including Animal Health Laboratory results, private-sector lab data provincial swine condemnation data, and quarterly surveys of veterinarians. The network communicated its findings to the Ontario swine industry and encouraged producers to work with their vets to develop a treatment and/or a vaccination plan that would prevent future outbreaks of the disease.
In 2016, Ontario exported about $1.8-billion worth of animals and animal products, an important contributor to the provincial economy.
The OAHN receives funding from the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance through the Animal Health Laboratory.
This article originally appeared in the 2018 Agri-Food Yearbook edition of Research magazine.