The economic impact of progressive atrophic rhinitis in grower-finisher pigs in a medium-scale piggery in Kenya

Abstract

Persistent sneezing of weaner and grower-finisher pigs is reported at the veterinary clinic of University of Nairobi, Kenya [date not given]. The pigs were from a medium scale piggery system composed of 15 sows, 1 boar, 74 grower-finishers, 16 weaners and 11 piglets. Physical inspection of the premises revealed that the pigs were housed in dusty pens with low partitions of stone walls. While the main clinical signs observed in the affected pigs were sneezing, conjunctivitis, lacrimation, tear staining of the hair on the medial canthi of the eyes, coughing, emaciation, lateral deviation of the snout, serous to mucopurulent nasal discharge and nasal bleeding of one grower-finisher. Nasal swabs were obtained from few affected animals for laboratory isolation of Bordetella bronchiseptica and Pasteurella multocida. After sampling, the acutely affected animals were treated with oxytetracycline (20 mg/kg, i.m., Tetroxy, Bimeda, UK) which was repeated after 7 days. The treatment reduced the number of sneezing pigs and the severity of sneezing but did not eliminate the sneezing completely until the pigs were slaughtered. It was observed that normal pigs had mean carcass weight of 75.0±4.11 kg while the sick pigs had a significantly lower (P<0.05) carcass weight of 63.6±4.86 kg. It is concluded that the clinical progressive atrophic rhinitis has a negative effect on growth weight gains and so can be of economic importance in open and continuous system of pig farming. The result of the treatment indicates that treatment of acutely sick pigs may be beneficial to farmers.