Stepped Up Surveillance Identifies Increased Incidents of Greasy Pig Disease

Dec 05, 2022

Image via National Animal Disease Information Service

The Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network is paying closer attention to incidents of greasy pig disease after stepped up surveillance for Seneca Valley Virus during the third Quarter of 2022 identified an increase in the infection.

This disease affects all ages, with signs of it appearing as dark patches of flaking, greasy skin that is caused by the bacterial infection. Toxins created by the bacteria can kill swine.

This past summer exports of Canadian culled sows to the U.S. were halted for about a week after Seneca Valley Virus identified in U.S. slaughter plants and traced back to assembly yards in Manitoba triggered a foreign animal disease investigation.

Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network Manager Dr. Jette Christensen says this caused a back up of culled sows creating problems throughout the system and prompted stepped up surveillance for skin syndromes.

Clip-Dr. Jette Christensen-Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network:

In Manitoba the assembly yards have increased the surveillance and testing for Seneca Valley Virus.They have had to also do a little bit more cleanup and control measures and we’re following that specifically.Since the clinical sign is blisters, we look more closely at the skin syndromes and specifically Seneca Valley Virus.That means, when we're looking a little bit closer we can also see if there's changes in other diseases and this quarter it was greasy pig.

It wasn't a big increase and normally we would not have discussed it but since we are looking more closely at all skin diseases we just picked up on it.It was discussed that maybe on some of the farms they were short staffed.
That creates a little bit of difficulty with fostering.

Maybe all of the procedures are not followed or can not be followed to the teeth.Then, since teeth clipping is no longer done in most of the farms, the fighting with fostering can give scratches on the skin and maybe make the pigs a little more prone to greasy pig.

Dr. Christensen says CWSHIN is keeping an eye again on greasy pig to see if this increase is a continued trend.

Source : Farmscape.ca

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