AHDB Updates the Significant Disease Charter
The Significant Diseases Charter has an important role in sharing information quickly in the event of a pig disease outbreak.
The AHDB Significant Diseases Charter has undergone an updated to provide clearer guidelines on the reporting of Swine Dysentery.
The revisions offer more detailed information regarding the clinical signs that may be associated with Swine Dysentery caused by Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. This will assist in determining when it is necessary to report cases to the Charter.
While typical Swine Dysentery often involves diarrhoea accompanied by mucus and/or blood, it is important to recognise that the severity of the disease can vary in pigs due to several factors, including pig age, diet, stress, concurrent infection, strain of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae, pig immunity, and antimicrobial treatment.
As a result, clinical signs can vary, and disease caused by B. hyodysenteriae may manifest as diarrhoea without mucus and/or blood, or as looseness and wasting, or poor growth.
It should be noted that the absence of typical mucus and blood does not imply that Swine Dysentery should not be reported if pigs exhibit enteric disease and B. hyodysenteriae has been identified.
