Title:
ISOSPOROSIS IN SUCKLING PIGLETS IN FLANDERS
Author(s):
J. Leten, K. Smets, E. Claerebout, H.-C. Mundt, H.C. Heesen, J. Vercruysse
Abstract:
Isospora suis causes neonatal coccidiosis in piglets. Clinical signs include diarrhoea in 5 to 14-days-old piglets. The morbidity is high and the mortality low to moderate. Up until now, no I. suis prevalence data have been available in Belgium. Therefore, 30 swine herds (10 litters/farm) were sampled in Flanders during the summer of 2000 to determine the prevalence and the importance of I. suis. On 24 of the 30 examined farms (80%) oocysts were present, with an average of 33% of the litters infected. On 4 of the 5 farms with obvious problems of diarrhoea an average of 47 % of the litters was infected. However, diarrhoea was not significantly correlated with the presence of I. suis infection or with the percentage of infected litters. The cleaning of the farrowing crate and the treatment of the sows (at parturition) with sulfonamids had no apparent effect on the occurrence of the infection, but the disinfection of the farrowing crates however had a significant effect on the percentage of infected litters.