EPIDEMIOLOGY OF LA WSONIA INTRA CELL ULARIS IN FARROW-TO-FINISH HERDS IN SEVERAL WESTERN-EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, THROUGH SEROPROFILING, USING AN IFAT

摘要

PPE (Porcine Proliferative Enteropathy) is widespread disease, which has a high prevalence in many Western-European countries (1,2,3). Epidemiology on the other hand is not fully understood and knowledge about it needs to be broadened. Demonstration of Lawsonia intracellularis specific serum IgG antibodies indicates exposure of the pigs to L. intracellularis (4). However, a detectable serum IgG antibody response by the IFA test may last less then 4 weeks under field conditions (5). Nevertheless, information about the epidemiology of PPE on a herd basis, particularly determination of the time of exposure within a system, can be obtained by sequential bleeding of individual pigs or by single cross-sectional sampling of groups of pigs at different stages in the production cycle (5, 6,7). In this study the IFA-test has been used in Denmark, UK and Netherlands to do single cross-sectional sampling of farrow-to-finish herds with a history of ileitis. The purpose of this investigation was to try and establish a pattern in the profiles in this particular farm system. This could improve our ability to predict disease outbreak, which would help in timing of antibiotic treatment.