Over the past three decades, efficient breeding and management have almost doubled the litter size of sows. Simultaneously, duration of farrowing has increased markedly. The expulsion phase of parturition in the hyper prolific sow is now 3 to 5 times longer than it was in the early 1990s. There has also been a constant downward trend in piglet birth weight, along with a similar trend in colostrum intake, which is an important risk factor for piglet mortality. Together with these trends, an increase in farrowing complications, such as postpartum dysgalactia and retention of placenta, has been reported. This paper investigates tools and technology to alleviate the problems seen in the hyperprolific sow. In short, the sow needs to be given space and enrichment materials for adequate expression of nest-building behaviour. Diagnostic imaging provides a tool to improve monitoring of physiology and pathology of the female genital tract around parturition. Maternal characteristics may be utilized to improve the success rate of reproductive management during farrowing and early lactation. These include maternal behaviour, such as carefulness and nursing behaviour, ease of parturition, colostrum production, piglet vitality and survival parameters. In feeding, provision of an adequate proportion of high-quality fibre appears to be the best practice in the battle against constipation and obesity. Appropriate management of the sow body condition during the last third of pregnancy is essential for mammary development and colostrum production. Adequate breed selection to facilitate management of sows at farrowing and of piglets during early lactation is also important. Recent findings suggest that management of parturition can affect the immune system and microbiota of newborn piglets. New demands on production, such as an animal-friendly farrowing environment and the heat stress brought about by climate change make it essential to develop breeding strategies for robustness and resilience. The lower piglet birth weight and compromised immunity of newborn piglets warrant investigation in the search for novel management tools. Robust breeds with

In 2015, a new pestivirus was described in pig sera in the United States. This new “atypical porcine pestivirus” (APPV) was later associated with congenital tremor (CT) in newborn piglets. The virus appears to be distributed worldwide, but the limited knowledge of virus diversity and the use of various diagnostic tests prevent direct comparisons. Therefore, we developed an APPV-specific real-time RT-PCR assay in the 5′UTR of the viral genome to investigate both retro- and prospectively the strains present in Switzerland and their prevalence in domestic pigs. Overall, 1080 sera obtained between 1986 and 2018 were analyzed, revealing a virus prevalence of approximately 13% in pigs for slaughter, whereas it was less than 1% in breeding pigs. In the prospective study, APPV was also detected in piglets displaying CT. None of the samples could detect the Linda virus, which is another new pestivirus recently reported in Austria. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed a broad diversity of APP viruses in Switzerland that are considerably distinct from sequences reported from other isolates in Europe and overseas. This study indicates that APPV has already been widely circulating in Switzerland for many years, mainly in young animals, with 1986 being the earliest report of APPV worldwide.

BackgroundHaemorrhagic bowel syndrome (HBS) is a sporadically occurring disorder in fattening pigs, characterized by sudden death in combination with severe abdominal distension and intense red colouration of the intestine. Deep understanding of aetiology and pathogenesis of HBS are still lacking, although several risk factors are known.Case presentationIn a continuously stocked fattening farm with 1500 pigs and liquid feeding based on whey, the mortality rate increased from 1.7% to 3.5% during summer time. Sporadic sudden death of growing pigs occurred along with severe abdominal distension as the main sign in these animals. All batches arriving at the farm received in-feed medication with Tiamulin hydrogen fumarate (2 mg/kg body weight/day; according to the license for use in Switzerland) due to detection of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae in the past, although a partial sanitation had been conducted thereafter. No changes of the origins, housing and the feeding procedure were reported. A herd examination was conducted revealing a hygiene problem in the feeding system. For further diagnostics a necropsy was performed, showing a pale carcass with a bloated abdomen due to a haemorrhagic infarction of part of the small intestine caused by a mesenteric torsion. Furthermore, a feed analysis was conducted, revealing a pH-value of 5 in the liquid feed, and a severe contamination with Enterobacteriaceae was detected. Based on these examinations, HBS was diagnosed. Subsequently, the farmer controlled the pH-value of the liquid feed with formic acid, improved the cleaning procedure of the liquid feeding system and stopped the in-feed medication. Following the implementation of these measures, key performance indicators improved significantly, but 4 months later the same clinical manifestation occurred again. This time huge variations in the pH-value of the liquid feed between different feeding times were recorded and were attributed to improper mixing of the formic acid in the whey tank. After implementation of a technical solution to control the pH-value, the health status improved again.ConclusionIn the present case, it is likely that the cause of the clinical manifestation of HBS was a contamination of Enterobacteriaceae in the liquid feed facilitated by a hygiene problem in the feeding system, and a chronic dysbacteriosis of the intestinal tract due to the non-justified routine use of antimicrobials. Speculatively, the prophylactic antimicrobial treatment was unnecessary and might even have exacerbated the clinical problem.

The health status of breeding sows is critical for physiological reproductive performance in the herd and has a major impact on animal welfare, as well as on the economic output of a farm. Diseases of the urogenital tract in particular, such as endometritis and cystitis, occur on farms characterized by low reproductive performance. It is very important to recognize and treat the causes of these as soon as possible, and consequently a range of biomarkers have been used and described. This article summarizes those most relevant to endometritis and cystitis in sows. Particular biomarkers can be used for both cystitis and endometritis, such as vaginal discharge and body temperature, whereas others are more specific, for instance, ultrasound and cytology of the uterus for endometritis and analysis and bacteriology of urine for cystitis. Nevertheless, due to the low sensitivity of individual markers, a combination of clinical parameters and several biomarkers are needed. Nonetheless, evaluation of biomarkers can be unrewarding in the diagnosis of cystitis and endometritis in live animals, usually because the infections are subclinical. Therefore, pathological examination of the urogenital tract of slaughtered sows also needs to be performed in herds of a low reproductive performance. Overall, it is important that the clinician be aware of the limitations of each biomarker for diagnosing urogenital infections in sows so as to not over-or underestimate the prevalence of disease at herd level.