Slaughterhouse Visual and Palpation Method for Estimating the Economic Damage of Porcine Proliferative Enteropathy (PPE)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The profit production of the pig industry is fundamentally influenced by the functioning of fatteners’ digestive systems. Diseases that damage any section of the intestine reduce the intensity of nutrient absorption and worsen the economy of production. Ileitis is one of the most important and widely spread enteric diseases. Economic losses due to ileitis have been estimated at USD 4.65 per fattening pig, with American pig farmers losing USD 56.1 million annually. Currently, as there is no monitoring tool at the slaughterhouse to evaluate these losses, it has become necessary to develop an ileitis monitoring tool that is inexpensive, simple, fast, sensitive and provides immediate results. The method developed is similar to lung lesion scoring tools and can be performed at slaughterhouses. The results of the procedure are correlated with the results of other laboratory diagnostic tests for ileitis. The results can provide an immediate interpretation of the status of ileitis. ABSTRACT: Background: Ileitis is a wasting disease of pigs. Clinical symptoms are diarrhea in growing pigs, wasting and reduced performance. Ileitis is ubiquitous in pig producing countries all around the world. It is estimated that the economic losses caused by the disease are USD 4.65 per fattening pig, and American pig farmers lose USD 56.1 million annually. It has become necessary to develop a slaughterhouse ileitis monitoring method that is simple, feasible to perform at modern slaughter lines, leads to immediate results and is cost effective. The practical experiences of applying the method are presented below. Methods: Our studies were performed on pig herds and slaughterhouses in Central European countries (Hungary, Romania, Poland, Croatia, and Slovakia). Experiences were evaluated based on visual and palpation. The results of our investigations were evaluated by a scoring method. Authors made histological and immunohistochemical examinations of investigated ileums. The hypothetic economic losses due to the disease in each farm were determined by estimating the loss of profit according to Holtkamp’s presentation in 2019. Results: The essentials of the method we have developed are: it can be performed during slaughterhouse processing, it does not interfere with or make it impossible to carry out normal technological processes, and the results of the procedure are correlated with the results of other laboratory diagnostic tests for ileitis (histology, immunohistochemistry, herd serology, fecal PCR). It is noteworthy that the results of the method can be used to immediately estimate the impact of Lawsonia intracellularis infection on the performance of the herd from which the slaughter animals come. Conclusion: Using the results of the slaughtered pigs’ visual and tactile examination at the slaughterhouse, the magnitude of the loss caused by Lawsonia intracellularis infection can be estimated quickly and accurately, and the return on investment of the strategy to be applied can be accurately planned.