Sinopsis

This handbook aims to be a useful and practical tool for pig production companies and vets who have to tackle digestive diseases in piglets in their first few days of life. It includes chapters on the physiology and immunity of the piglet gastrointestinal tract, and the causes, diagnosis, and control strategies – those that are currently available and alternatives that will soon be developed – for the main agents that cause neonatal diarrhoea in pigs. The contents are the result of the joint work of renowned specialists with many years’ experience in enteric diseases in pigs.

Índice

1. Digestive tract structure and function
Digestive tract structure
Digestive tract function
2. Immunity in the piglet
Intestinal defence mechanisms
Maternal immunity
3. Main aetiological agents
Bacterial diarrhoea
Viral diarrhoea
Parasitic diarrhoea (Cystoisospora suis)
Novel agents involved in neonatal diarrhoea
4. Main diagnostic tools
Clinical and pathological diagnosis
Sample collection
Laboratory diagnosis
5. Control
Symptomatic treatment
Aetiological treatment
Immune prophylaxis
Management during gestation, farrowing and lactation
New control options
Housing sows in groups during lactation