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Boulbria G, Nicolazo T, Teixeira-Costa C, Clouard C, Lebret A, Normand V, Chevance C, Jeusselin J, Merlot É. Porcine ear necrosis is associated with social behaviours in weaned piglets. BMC Vet Res 2024; 20:118. [PMID: 38521914 PMCID: PMC10960443 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-024-03974-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Porcine ear necrosis (PEN) is a worldwide health issue and its aetiology is still unclear. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and the severity of PEN in a commercial farm, associated with pig behaviour and health biomarkers measures. On two consecutive batches, PEN prevalence was determined at the pen level. PEN scores, blood haptoglobin concentration and oxidative status were measured on two pigs per pen (n = 48 pens) 9, 30 and 50 days (D) after arrival to the post-weaning unit. Social nosing, oral manipulation and aggression of pen mates and exploration of enrichment materials were observed on two to three pigs per pen twice a week from D9 to D50. RESULTS At the pen level, the higher the time spent nosing pen mates, the lower the percentage of pigs affected by PEN during both the early and the late post-weaning periods (P < 0.002) and, in the opposite, the higher the time spent orally manipulating pen mates during the late post-weaning period, the higher the percentage of affected pigs (P = 0.03). At the pig level, the higher the increase in hydroperoxides and haptoglobin during the early post-weaning period, the higher the PEN scores on D30 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that a high incidence of social nosing, which can be an indicator of good social cohesion in a group, was significantly associated with less frequent lesions of PEN. In opposite, high incidence of oral manipulation of pen mates may increase the percentage of PEN-affected pigs. According to these observations, PEN is a multifactorial condition which may have social causes among others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwenaël Boulbria
- REZOOLUTION Pig Consulting Services, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France.
- PORC.SPECTIVE Swine Vet Practice, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France.
| | - Théo Nicolazo
- REZOOLUTION Pig Consulting Services, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France
- PORC.SPECTIVE Swine Vet Practice, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France
| | - Charlotte Teixeira-Costa
- REZOOLUTION Pig Consulting Services, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France
- PORC.SPECTIVE Swine Vet Practice, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France
| | - Caroline Clouard
- PEGASE, INRAE, Institut Agro, Le Clos, Saint Gilles, 35590, France
| | - Arnaud Lebret
- REZOOLUTION Pig Consulting Services, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France
- PORC.SPECTIVE Swine Vet Practice, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France
| | - Valérie Normand
- REZOOLUTION Pig Consulting Services, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France
- PORC.SPECTIVE Swine Vet Practice, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France
| | - Céline Chevance
- REZOOLUTION Pig Consulting Services, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France
- PORC.SPECTIVE Swine Vet Practice, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France
| | - Justine Jeusselin
- REZOOLUTION Pig Consulting Services, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France
- PORC.SPECTIVE Swine Vet Practice, Parc d'Activités de Gohélève, Rue Joseph et Étienne Montgolfier, Noyal-Pontivy, 56920, France
| | - Élodie Merlot
- PEGASE, INRAE, Institut Agro, Le Clos, Saint Gilles, 35590, France
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Malik M, Chiers K, Theuns S, Vereecke N, Chantziaras I, Croubels S, Maes D. Porcine ear necrosis: characterization of lesions and associated pathogens. Vet Res 2023; 54:85. [PMID: 37773143 PMCID: PMC10543831 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-023-01218-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Porcine ear necrosis (PEN) is characterized by ulcerative lesions of the ear auricle. To investigate that problem, three farms with PEN in nursery pigs were included, and the study aim was to characterize PEN and the potential role of pathogens and mycotoxins. Within each farm, one batch of weaned piglets was included and the prevalence and severity of PEN were monitored for 6-7 weeks. Within each batch, 30 PEN-affected/non-affected animals were randomly selected. Blood samples were taken from these animals, to assess the systemic presence of pathogens and mycotoxins, as well as punch biopsies from the ear auricle for histopathological examination. From 10 animals, scrapings and swabs from the lesions were subjected to nanopore metagenomic sequencing and bacteriological cultivation, respectively. In all three farms, lesions appeared within 3-4 weeks post-weaning. The prevalence at the end of the nursery was 33%, 24%, and 46% for farms A, B, and C, respectively. Most affected pigs had mild to moderate lesions. Blood samples revealed low to very low levels of pathogens and mycotoxins. Different bacteria such as Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Fusobacterium, Mycoplasma, and Clostridium species were identified by sequencing in the scrapings. The first two pathogens were also most often identified in bacterial cultures. Mycoplasma hyopharyngis was only found in PEN-affected pigs. Histopathological changes were primarily observed in the outer layer of the epidermis. The results suggest that PEN lesions develop by damage to the outer part of the skin e.g. by ear suckling or biting, followed by multiplication of opportunistic pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Malik
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Koen Chiers
- Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Nick Vereecke
- Laboratory of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- PathoSense BV, Lier, Belgium
| | - Ilias Chantziaras
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Siska Croubels
- Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dominiek Maes
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Malik M, Schoos A, Chantziaras I, Donkers D, Croubels S, Doupovec B, Maes D. Porcine ear necrosis in weaned piglets: prevalence and impact on daily weight gain. Porcine Health Manag 2021; 7:61. [PMID: 34903306 PMCID: PMC8667406 DOI: 10.1186/s40813-021-00240-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Porcine ear necrosis (PEN) in pigs is characterized by a blue to black discoloration of the tip or margin of the ear followed by necrosis. The present study investigated the prevalence of PEN in a Belgian pig farm with PEN problems in nursery pigs, the effect of a mycotoxin detoxifier added to the feed on PEN prevalence, and the impact of PEN on the piglets’ growth. Six consecutive batches of weaned piglets [565–751 piglets per batch, (n = 3898)] were included. For each weaning batch, the presence and severity of PEN during the nursery period (3–10 weeks of age) were recorded weekly. Average daily gain (ADG) was calculated by weighing 597 individual piglets divided over the six batches. Additionally different mycotoxins were measured in the feed using LC–MS/MS analysis, and to three randomly selected batches, a mycotoxin detoxifier (Mycofix® Plus 5E, Biomin) was added to the feed. Results At the end of the nursery period, 11.0–32.0% of the piglets in each batch were affected. The prevalence increased with the number of weeks post-weaning, especially from week 4 after weaning onwards. Mild, moderate, severe and very severe lesions represented 84.6%, 14.0%, 1.3% and 0.1% of all lesions, respectively. Different mycotoxins were present in the feed, but all at low concentrations. The mean ADG (± SD) for pigs without (n = 243) and with (n = 158) lesions was 391 g (± 71 g) and 394 g (± 65 g), respectively (P > 0.05). The ADG for mildly affected (387 g ± 68 g) and moderately affected piglets (420 g ± 44 g) was not significantly different (P > 0.05). The PEN prevalence in the batches without or with the mycotoxin detoxifier was 25% and 22%, respectively (P > 0.05). Conclusions Twenty-three percent of animals showed lesions at the end of the nursery. Affected pigs did not have a lower ADG compared to non-affected animals, which might be explained by the fact that most affected piglets only had mild lesions. The addition of a mycotoxin detoxifier did not influence the prevalence of PEN, possibly because of the low levels of mycotoxin contamination. Further research is warranted to assess the impact of more severe PEN lesions and the effect of control measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Malik
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Alexandra Schoos
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ilias Chantziaras
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dries Donkers
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Siska Croubels
- Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Dominiek Maes
- Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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