Risk factors and epidemiological characteristics of new neonatal porcine diarrhoea syndrome in four Danish herds

BMC Veterinary Research

Table 1 Characteristics of the four study-herds

Herd data	Herd 1	Herd 2	Herd 3	Herd 4
Study period	January 2011	March 2011	May 2011	July 2011
Duration of problems	2 years	>1 year	Since establishment (2 years)	2 years
Herd size (n sows)	900	1250	700	950
Sows per farrowing room	27	40	42	44
SPF¹-status	Not declared	Not declared	SPF + AP12	SPF
Piglets weaned/sow/year²	30.7	27.1	25.4	32.3
1st parity litters (%)²	20	22	21	23
Recruitment of gilts	Purchase	Own production	Purchase	Own production
Semen	Purchase	Own boars	Own boars	Purchase
Sow feed³	Liquid (residue-free)/Home made	Liquid (residue-free)/Home made	Liquid (residue-free)/Home made	Liquid/Factory made
Routine treatment of piglets⁴	None	None	Amoxicillin at birth	Amoxicillin at castration
Routine treatment of sows⁵	None	None	Oxytocin after farrowing	Oxytocin after farrowing

¹Specific Pathogen Free – In Denmark most herds participate in a surveillance programme, and are registered for freedom/presence of certain infectious diseases, including PRRS, M. hyopneumoniae, A. pleuropneumoniae, P. multocida tox + and B. hyodysenteriae. SPF + Ap12 means that the herd is declared free from all SPF diseases except A. pleuropneumoniae type 12. ²Average calculated from herd-registrations made in a 3 month period prior to investigation. ³Feed type used in farrowing period. ⁴Standard antibiotic treatments used in the herds during the first week of life. These treatments were not used during the study. ⁵Any standard medication used on the day of parturition. These treatments were also used during the study.

ISSN: 1746-6148