Article written by:
Oriol Boix Mas (Corporate Product Manager at HIPRA).
Igancio Bernal Orozco (Corporate Brand Manager at HIPRA).
Article written by:
Oriol Boix Mas (Corporate Product Manager at HIPRA).
Igancio Bernal Orozco (Corporate Brand Manager at HIPRA).
In cases where we are faced with a gastrointestinal disorder of infectious origin, owing to their multifactorial aetiology it is of vital importance to take action in a meticulous and orderly manner.
To do this, we as veterinarians have a series of tools and procedures available to us, which allow us in the first instance to make a differential diagnosis and then determine the source of the problem.
This includes taking a correct history, performing an appropriate necropsy and taking specific samples that will allow us to request the appropriate tests from the laboratory.
On a general level, the most obvious clinical manifestation will be the presence of diarrhoea, in the majority of cases accompanied by a change in the colour of the faeces.
Certainly, and especially in cases of viral infection, the presence of vomiting, mucus, blood or undigested feed are symptoms that can provide more pointers towards a presumptive diagnosis.
The success of diagnosis depends on the selection of the samples, as these must be representative and must be in a good state of preservation.
Autolysis is the process by which the cells of the animal, once it is dead, release enzymes known as autolysins that start a process of degradation and cellular self-destruction.
When taking samples, we must bear in mind that the digestive system is characterized by its high concentration of enzymes, hydrochloric acid and very abundant bacterial flora.
This causes the almost immediate onset of autolysis after death
As we mentioned above, the most obvious clinical manifestation of gastrointestinal disorders will be diarrhoea, so that necropsy is a diagnostic tool that can provide us with very useful information.
The type of enteritis (catarrhal, purulent, ulcerative, etc.) and the location of the micro-organism in the digestive tract enable us to narrow down the differential diagnosis in the field.
Figure 1 provides a summary, both of the location of the pathogens (small or large intestine), as well as their most characteristic macroscopic lesion.
It is important to mention that any post mortem examination must always be accompanied by a through epidemiological evaluation.
In the case of piglets, we have to know the number of affected litters, the number of piglets affected in each litter and the parity of the sows presenting with this picture.
The joint analysis of the results of numerous laboratory techniques enables us to make a definitive diagnosis and to decide on the most appropriate course of action for the farm concerned:
Histopathology:
Bacteriology:
Antibiotic susceptibility testing:
Molecular (PCR):
Managing the process, being clear about the sampling procedure and organizing the correct dispatch of the samples to the laboratory are key to the success of diagnosis in the case of gastrointestinal disorders.
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