Title: Pseudorabies in Pigs - Nervous System - Merck Veterinary Manual
Headings: Pseudorabies in Pigs
Pseudorabies in Pigs
(Aujeszky Disease, Mad Itch)
Etiology
Epidemiology
Clinical Findings and Pathogenesis
Lesions
Diagnosis
Treatment and Control
Key Points
Was This Page Helpful?

Content: Intranasal vaccination of sows and neonatal piglets 1–7 days old, followed by IM vaccination of all other swine on the premises, helps reduce viral shedding and improve survival. The modified-live virus replicates at the site of injection and in regional lymph nodes. Vaccine virus is shed in such low levels that mucous transmission to other animals is minimal. In gene-deleted vaccines, the thymidine kinase gene has also been deleted; thus, the virus cannot infect and replicate in neurons. It is recommended that breeding herds be vaccinated quarterly and that finisher pigs be vaccinated after levels of maternal antibody decrease. Regular vaccination results in excellent control of the disease. Concurrent antibiotic therapy via feed and IM injection is recommended to control secondary bacterial pathogens. Numerous programs have been developed for eradication of pseudorabies virus. As of 2014, all 50 states in the USA are considered free of the disease in commercial pigs;