Title: Erysipelas | The Pig Site
Headings: Erysipelas
Erysipelas
Background and history
Clinical signs
Sows
Boars
The important effects of erysipelas on reproductive failure
Weaners and growers
Diagnosis
Causes
Prevention
Treatment
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Content: Killed vaccines are quite safe and have no adverse effects on the sow. Efficient storage of the vaccine as per the manufacturers recommendation is essential. Sporadic disease is common in sows but if one sow in a group becomes infected the exposure is high from her urine and faeces and it is advisable to inject all contact animals with penicillin. Birds can also contaminate feed. Assess the levels of the exposure in your herd. If feed-back of faeces is practised in the herd, it should be stopped immediately or it will spread the disease faster. Treatment
The erysipelas organism is very sensitive to penicillin. Acutely ill animals should be treated with quick acting penicillin twice daily for three days. Alternatively a long-acting penicillin, given as a single dose to cover 48 hours of treatment, could be given and then repeated. Treat by intramuscular injection 1ml/10kg (300,000iu/ml).