Development and validation of a farm- and province-level swine flow simulation model using discrete events and Ontario swine farm and provincial input data.

Infectious disease events can cause disruptions in service-based and agricultural industries. The list of possible events is long and varies from the incursion or emergence of a reportable animal pathogen to the recently documented interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to develop models that can determine the impact of pathogens and mitigation measures on populations that are not directly affected by the pathogen in the case of a reportable disease, particularly when the health and welfare of these populations could be affected due to resulting disruptions in trade and supply chains.

Sow hematological parameters in late pregnancy and an investigation as to whether these parameters are predictors of stillbirths in a Canadian sow herd.

Animal And Objective: The objectives of this study were to produce hematological reference intervals for late-pregnancy sows and to assess whether there were associations between sow hematological end points and the number of stillborn pigs.

Procedure: Whole blood was collected from 272 healthy pregnant sows ~1 wk before farrowing, and complete blood (cell) counts and hemoglobin determinations were obtained. Sows were monitored during farrowing, and litter characteristics, including number of stillborn piglets, were recorded.

An investigation into fecal shedding of serotypes in nursery pigs.

Objective: The objective of this study was to monitor fecal shedding in nursery pigs on a farm with a history of disease involving serotypes 2 and 9.

Animal And Procedure: Four cohorts of pigs ( = 480) were monitored from weaning to end of nursery. Rectal swabs from 297 pigs were tested and serotypes 15 ( = 7), 31 ( = 3), or untypeable ( = 6) isolates were recovered from 16 (5.

Investigations into the effects of vaccination and diet composition on post-weaning diarrhea and growth performance in pigs.

Objectives: Pigs often experience slow growth and enteric disease problems during the early post-weaning period. The objectives were to evaluate effects of a live oral vaccine on post-weaning diarrhea under on-farm conditions and to assess impacts of diet composition on growth and enteric health in the early nursery phase of production.

Procedures And Results: In a series of trials, even when enterotoxigenic (ETEC) was present, post-weaning diarrhea was usually associated with other causes and not ETEC.

The effect of moderate energy and protein restriction during gilt development on changes in body weight and backfat depth and subsequent lactation performance.

Eighty-eight gilts [initial body weight (BW) 49.8 ± 0.8 kg] were recruited to determine the effects of moderate energy and protein restriction during the development period on changes in BW and backfat depth (BF) and subsequent lactation performance.

A case of tail-biting on a multi-site swine operation in Ontario.

This case study describes a severe tail-biting event on a multi-site swine operation in Ontario and outlines the management strategies implemented in an attempt to control the problem. An established social order was clearly present before the tail-biting event occurred. Over 40% of tail-docked pigs in 3 of 8 grower-finisher barns were severely affected, leading to higher mortality and increased numbers of pigs re-housed in hospital pens.

Pharmacokinetics of combined administration of iron dextran with meloxicam or flunixin meglumine in piglets.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of compounding non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) meloxicam or flunixin meglumine with iron dextran (ID) in piglets.

Animal: Forty piglets (8 d of age) were randomly allocated into 5 groups (8 piglets/group) and received 1 intramuscular injection in the neck of the following treatments: flunixin meglumine (2.2 mg/kg) administered alone (F) or mixed with ID (F+ID); or meloxicam (0.

Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of ketoprofen when compounded with iron dextran for use in nursing piglets.

In Canada, piglets receive analgesia to control pain after surgical castration. There is interest in examining the potential to mix non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with iron dextran prior to injection to minimize piglet handling and labor. The objective of this study was to compare pharmacokinetics and the relative bioavailability of ketoprofen given alone (3.

Tail-Biting in Pigs: A Scoping Review.

Tail-biting is globally recognized as a welfare concern for commercial swine production. Substantial research has been undertaken to identify risk factors and intervention methods to decrease and understand this vice. Tail-biting appears to be multifactorial and has proven difficult to predict and control.

Antibody responses to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, influenza A virus, and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae from weaning to the end of the finisher stage in fourteen groups of pigs in Ontario, Canada.

Background: Respiratory diseases are among the most important factors affecting swine farm productivity in Canada. The objectives of this study were to investigate antibody responses to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), influenza A virus (IAV), and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae) from weaning to the end of the finisher stage on a subset of commercial swine farms in Ontario, Canada, and to examine the association between nursery diet and antibody responses.

Influenza A virus vaccine research conducted in swine from 1990 to May 2018: A scoping review.

Background: Influenza A viruses of swine (IAV-S) are a global zoonotic and economic concern. Primary control is through vaccination yet a formal evidence map summarizing vaccine research conducted in pigs is not available.

Objective: Ten characteristics of English language primary IAV-S vaccine research, conducted at the level of the pig or higher, were charted to identify research gaps, topics for systematic review, and coverage across different publication types.

Effect of flavophospholipol on fecal microbiota in weaned pigs challenged with Typhimurium.

Background: The heightened prevalence of Typhimurium remains a public health and food safety concern. Studies have reported antibiotic, flavophospholipol, may have the ability to reduce in swine, as well as alter the gut microbiota in favour of beneficial bacteria by inhibiting pathogenic bacteria. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the fecal microbiota of weaned pigs receiving in-feed flavophospholipol and challenged with Typhimurium.

Identification of single-nucleotide variants associated with susceptibility to Salmonella in pigs using a genome-wide association approach.

Background: Salmonella enterica serovars are a major cause of foodborne illness and have a substantial impact on global human health. In Canada, Salmonella is commonly found on swine farms and the increasing concern about drug use and antimicrobial resistance associated with Salmonella has promoted research into alternative control methods, including selecting for pig genotypes associated with resistance to Salmonella. The objective of this study was to identify single-nucleotide variants in the pig genome associated with Salmonella susceptibility using a genome-wide association approach.

shedding and seropositivity and its association with in-feed flavophospholipol in nursery pigs.

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of in-feed flavophospholipol on shedding and antibody response in nursery pigs. Weaned pigs were fed either a diet containing 4 ppm flavophospholipol ( = 16) or a non-medicated feed ( = 16) for 36 d. All pigs were orally challenged with a 2-mL dose of 10 colony-forming units (CFUs)/mL of Typhimurium on Days 7 and 8 of the trial.

An attempted intervention to solve a problem of lightweight pigs at weaning.

The presence of a high proportion of lightweight pigs (< 4.5 kg) at weaning was identified as a problem on a 600-sow farrowing operation. An intervention strategy involving special care pens where underweight pigs were fed milk-replacer and transitioned to a commercial grain-based starter diet was evaluated and found to be of limited benefit.

Antimicrobial resistance of isolates recovered from clinically ill nursery pigs and from healthy pigs at different stages of production.

isolates (N = 379) from clinically ill pigs and from healthy pigs were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a disk diffusion method. Isolates from clinical cases had a higher prevalence of resistance compared with isolates from healthy pigs. There was a high to moderate prevalence of resistance to antibiotics commonly used in nursery pig diets such as tetracycline (84.

Rapid Communication: A comparison of cardiac lesions and heart weights from market pigs that did and did not die during transport to one Ontario abattoir.

In-transit losses of market hogs represent a small proportion of all market-weight pigs shipped in a year. This suggests that individual pig factors may be a significant cause of in-transit losses along with more traditionally considered environmental and transport factors. An investigation was performed to determine whether cardiac pathology and heart weights were associated with pigs that did or did not die during transport to an abattoir.

Antibody Responses to Salmonella in Pigs from Weaning Up to Marketing and Presence of Salmonella at Slaughter.

Salmonella is estimated to be one of the leading causes of enteric illness worldwide. Human salmonellosis is most frequently related to contaminated food products, particularly those of animal origin, such as pork. Pigs are often asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella, highlighting the importance of identifying high-prevalence farms and effective detection methods.

fecal shedding in pigs from birth to market and its association with the presence of in palatine tonsils and submandibular lymph nodes at slaughter.

is an important cause of foodborne illnesses in humans. Food-producing animals, including swine, are a major source of in food products. This study investigated on farm fecal shedding in pigs at different production stages - from weaning to marketing - and its association with the presence of in tissues at slaughter.

An epidemiological study of serotypes of pigs in Ontario determined by a multiplex polymerase chain reaction.

The purpose of the study was to identify the serotypes of from tonsil swabs in clinically ill and healthy pigs in Ontario using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Although 22 different serotypes were identified, most isolates were -like bacteria or untypable.

Time course of shedding and antibody response in naturally infected pigs during grower-finisher stage.

A longitudinal trial was conducted to determine the course of shedding and antibody response in naturally infected grower-finisher pigs. Ten-week-old pigs ( = 45) were transferred from a farm with history of salmonellosis and housed at a research facility. Weekly fecal samples (weeks 1 to 11) as well as tissue samples at slaughter were cultured for Serum samples were tested for presence of antibody by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

A clinical trial investigating the impact of in-feed flavophospholipol on shedding and antimicrobial resistance in pigs.

A clinical trial was conducted to assess the effectiveness of in-feed flavophospholipol in reducing shedding and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) associated with and generic in naturally infected grower-finisher pigs. Pigs were obtained from a farm with a history of salmonellosis and were housed at a research facility. Over the span of 10 weeks the pigs received either a feed containing 4 ppm of flavophospholipol (treatment, = 25) or a non-medicated feed (control, = 20).

Hematology and biochemistry reference intervals for Ontario commercial nursing pigs close to the time of weaning.

The evaluation of pig hematology and biochemistry parameters is rarely done largely due to the costs associated with laboratory testing and labor, and the limited availability of reference intervals needed for interpretation. Within-herd and between-herd biological variation of these values also make it difficult to establish reference intervals. Regardless, baseline reference intervals are important to aid veterinarians in the interpretation of blood parameters for the diagnosis and treatment of diseased swine.

The use of serum beta-hydroxybutyrate to determine whether nursery pigs selected on the basis of clinical signs are anorexic.

The process of weaning pigs alters intestinal structures and influences piglet behavior, which can result in anorexia. When housed in large groups, affected pigs can be difficult to identify at an early stage. The clinical signs of anorexia include loss in body condition (thinness) and repetitive oral behavior (chomping).