Risk factors for post-weaning diarrhoea on piglet producing farms in Finland.

Background: Post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) is a significant gastrointestinal disease in pigs. It is considered a multifactorial disease associated with proliferation of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in the intestinal tract of affected pigs. The aim of this study was to analyse risk factors related to the occurrence of PWD on Finnish piglet producing farms.

The effect of antimicrobial growth promoter withdrawal on the health of weaned pigs in Finland.

The use of the antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) carbadox and olaquindox has been banned in the European Union (EU) since September 1999. We studied the effects of the withdrawal on the health of weaned piglets on two types of piglet-producing farms (farrowing herds and farrow-to-finish herds) from the different regions of Finland. Farms with no major problems with post-weaning diarrhoea were selected for the study to better evaluate the effect of AGPs alone.