Expert opinion
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PMWS and PCVAD - is it still there in Europe?
North America is breaking down with Post-weaning
Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome (PMWS), or as they like to call
it Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease (PCVAD), in its acute form. In Europe,
we have mainly passed this high mortality phase in weaners and growers and have
entered the chronic phase of lower mortality, but often in more valuable finishing
animals. How badly are we affected here in
Europe?
North America is breaking down with Post-weaning Multisystemic Wasting
Syndrome (PMWS), or as they like to call it Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease (PCVAD), in its acute form. In Europe, we have
mainly passed this high mortality phase in weaners and growers and have entered
the chronic phase of lower mortality, but often in more valuable finishing
animals.
How badly are we affected here in Europe?
In the UK, we
still have farms that are regularly losing 9% of pigs in the finishing stage. In
pre-PMWS times, mortality was usually 1.5-2.5% in finishers from a variety of
causes, so these farms are experiencing an approximate 7% mortality due to PMWS,
which is substantial (€5-6/pig produced) but when modelled to include poorer
growth and FCE, increases the cost to €15-16/pig. One of the problems in the UK
is the large numbers of pigs that are finished in straw-based systems. These
promote our 'welfare friendly' image but are potentially increase the spread of
the infectious agent (PCV-2) and the infectious challenge.
In some
farrow-to-finish farms we encounter a non-antibiotic-responsive 'viral'
diarrhoea in growing pigs (8-12 weeks of age), which we associate with an
earlier PCV-2 infection but generally the mortality is low. In our
three-site-production systems, we see it mainly in the finishing sheds at 11-16
weeks of age, soon after introduction, when maternally derived antibodies have
presumably gone. Housing type and production system appears to have a
significant impact.
Recent trial work in Germany has shown that the
challenge from PCV-2 occurred even later, at 20 weeks of age, not far from
slaughter selection age, presumably due to slatted flooring and delayed exposure
and challenge. Mortality was 2-3% but the associated loss is considerable at
this stage almost €85-90 each pig that died or €2 to €3/pig
produced.
When costs associated with poorer growth and feed conversion
efficiency are included the cost is doubled to €4 to €5.5/pig.
What are other bloggers seeing in their countries, is PMWS
/ PCVAD still a problem?
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