Ileitis
Characteristics and Costs of Ileitis
Ileitis – also known as Porcine Proliferative Enteropathy (PPE) – is a
gastrointestinal disease prevalent in swine herds around the world. It's one of the most common causes
of diarrhea in grow-finish pigs, and is estimated to be present in 96 percent of U.S. herds.
The disease causes intestinal lesions, which affect growth performance of pigs and drain producer
profits. Ileitis alone is estimated to cost between $2 and $22 per pig. The disease is transmitted
through fecal shedding and, left unchecked, can quickly spread throughout the herd.
Unfortunately, ileitis is difficult to diagnose because distinctive signs are rare and clinical
signs are similar to other enteric diseases. These signs include:
- Uneven, slow growth and poor performance despite normal feed intake
- Loss of appetite, gaunt appearance
- Weakness and depression
- Diarrhea that looks like "wet cement" or is blood-tinged to reddish-brown
- Sudden death
Ileitis is caused by Lawsonia intracellularis and can be triggered by:
- On-farm movement between stages of production
- Mixing or regrouping by size or number
- Overcrowded grow-finish units
- Changes in ration formulations
- Environmental changes such as temperature fluctuations
- Facility design and sanitation
Read more about the fundamentals of ileitis.
Diagnoses of Ileitis
A postmortem analysis is best for diagnosing current clinical cases of ileitis. Accurate detection,
however, depends on the animal's stage of disease progression at the time of diagnosis.
The preferred protocol for postmortem diagnosis involves:
- Gross evaluation of lesions
- Histopathology to screen out the presence of other diseases
- Warthin-Starry silver stain of intestinal tissue or
- Immunohistochemistry or
- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) of intestinal mucosal scrapings
For antemortem diagnosis, fecal PCR will confirm the presence of Lawsonia intracellularis
in pigs exhibiting clinical signs. Cold, well-preserved fecal samples produce highly accurate
results. Samples being shipped to the laboratory should be frozen, packed in dry ice or
refrigerated with ice packs.
The suggested protocol for epidemiological profiling and ongoing herd monitoring involves:
- Collecting and freezing fecal samples every three weeks
- Drawing blood and conducting serology analysis on the same three-week schedule
- Conducting PCR analysis on fecal samples collected to help pinpoint the time of infection if serology tests show positive
- Confirming ileitis diagnosis with necropsies of infected animals at slaughter
Read more about identifying,
diagnosing and controlling ileitis.
LINCOMIX® Feed Medication Effectively Controls Ileitis
LINCOMIX® Feed Medication
now is cleared by the FDA to control Porcine Proliferative Enteropathy – commonly known as ileitis.
LINCOMIX
is the only FDA-approved product that fights both ileitis and mycoplasmal pneumonia.
In the United States, ileitis alone is estimated to cost the pork industry $98 million annually. But
now there's LINCOMIX. It
works directly in the intestine to combat ileitis.
LINCOMIX
controls ileitis by:
- Reducing shedding of Lawsonia intracellularis, the bacteria that causes ileitis
- Reducing the severity of the disease
Trials of LINCOMIX*
at both 40 g/t and 100 g/t show the following results, all attributed to healthier pigs:
- Diarrhea and abnormal clinical days were significantly reduced
- Average daily gain and feed conversion efficiency improved
For ileitis control, feed LINCOMIX
at 40 or 100 g/t. A reminder: when LINCOMIX
is administered at its approved dose of 200 g/t to reduce the severity of mycoplasmal pneumonia, pigs
are automatically covered for ileitis.
Read more about the research trials
showing the effectiveness of LINCOMIX
in controlling ileitis.
*Winkleman NL, Crane JP, Elfring GD, et al. Lincomycin-medicated feed for the control of porcine proliferative enteropathy (ileitis) in swine.
J Swine Health Prod 2002. 10(3):107-111.
LINCOMIX® Feed Medication Fights Ileitis and Mycoplasmal Pneumonia
In U.S. swine herds:
- 96 percent test positive for ileitis
- Nearly 100 percent have some incidence of mycoplasmal pneumonia
These are two of the swine industry's most prevalent and costly diseases.
The financial impact from ileitis and mycoplasmal pneumonia can be devastating.
Losses from ileitis alone are estimated to cost between $2 to $22 per affected
pig.
Fortunately, swine producers now can use one product to effectively combat both diseases:
LINCOMIX® Feed Medication.
It's the only FDA-approved product that controls ileitis and reduces the severity of mycoplasmal pneumonia.
LINCOMIX works
in the intestine to control ileitis. It also concentrates in the epithelial lining of the lungs to fight
mycoplasmal pneumonia.
Reports from veterinarians and information from the Pfizer STOMPSM PLUS
diagnostic and disease-control program indicate that the most likely time to medicate successfully for
both diseases is at, or shortly after, pigs move to the finisher. It's a stressful time for pigs,
leaving them vulnerable to diseases like ileitis and mycoplasmal pneumonia.
For ileitis control, feed LINCOMIX
at 40 g/t. When LINCOMIX
is administered at its approved dose of 200 g/t to reduce the severity of mycoplasmal pneumonia, pigs are
automatically covered for ileitis.
With LINCOMIX,
you can feed it right up to market, with no withdrawal, when administered according to label instructions.
Read more about the benefits of combating
ileitis and mycoplasmal pneumonia with LINCOMIX.
A Comparison: LINCOMIX® vs. Tylan*
A recent study** by Nathan Winkelman, DVM, of the Swine Health Services Unlimited in Morris, Minn.,
concluded that:
- Decreasing the incidence of shedding could lessen the spread of ileitis
- Administering LINCOMIX® Feed Medication
at 40 g/t and 100 g/t significantly reduced the shedding of Lawsonia intracellularis –
the bacteria that causes ileitis
- Tylan* (tylosin) was not effective in reducing the shedding of L. intracellularis
Winkelman also demonstrated that medication options can impact profits. For example, the marginal value for
pigs treated with LINCOMIX
at 40 g/t was $8.82. In comparison, pigs treated with tylosin at 100 g/t had a marginal value of $5.05. This
is a $3.77/pig advantage with LINCOMIX.
What's more, LINCOMIX
fed at 40 g/t for ileitis costs $5 to $7 less per ton than the approved Tylan dose of 100 g/t. Thus,
LINCOMIX
represents both a new and more cost-effective ileitis control option.
Read more about the
LINCOMIX
vs. tylosin studies.
*Tylan is a trademark of Elanco Animal Health, a division of Eli Lilly and Company, for its brand of tylosin.
**Based on dose confirmation study data (Study number 768-9690-97-002)
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