Causes and symptoms of smallpox in pigs, home treatment methods
Many animal farmers are faced with smallpox in pigs. This is a serious viral disease that leads to intoxication of the body and the appearance of a rash on the surface of the skin. Before proceeding with the treatment and prevention of such a disease, it is necessary to familiarize yourself in more detail with its features and description.
The causative agent and causes of the disease
Smallpox is a dangerous viral disease that is difficult to treat. Most often, the disease is caused by different strains of smallpox that can only affect certain types of animals. If we talk about pork pox, then its spread is carried out by three types of pathogens:
- cow virus;
- swine virus;
- smallpox vaccine.
There are several ways of virus infection. However, most often piglets get smallpox through the intestines, mucous membranes, skin surface and respiratory tract. The virus enters the body of a healthy animal after direct contact with an infected individual. You can also get infected with carriers of the virus that are in the incubation period. It is worth noting that not only animals tolerate the smallpox vaccine, but also people.
The virus is resistant to many factors. It can only be destroyed when exposed to acids or ultraviolet radiation. The causative agents of the disease can remain on the skin of animals, in food and on equipment for six months. The virus, which was previously on the surface of the skin with pockmarks, is even more persistent and does not die for more than a year.
Most often, smallpox occurs in pigs in the autumn and winter. This is facilitated by a lack of vitamins in the body, unhealthy diet and a weakened immune system. Other reasons due to which the disease may appear include:
- content in unsuitable conditions;
- non-compliance with quarantine requirements;
- refusal to disinfect the barn, in which cases of virus infection were previously recorded;
- the appearance on the farm of inventory with pathogens;
- a large number of rodents in the pigsty.
Symptoms of smallpox in pigs
To determine the presence of a disease in time, you need to familiarize yourself with its symptoms. Immediately after it appears in the body, the virus actively spreads along the surface of the skin, and also penetrates the mucous membranes and the digestive system. The incubation period of the disease is several weeks. The initial stage of smallpox has the following symptoms:
- an increase in body temperature up to forty degrees;
- deterioration in appetite and the appearance of problems with food digestion;
- inflammation inside the mucous membranes of the nasal cavity and eyes.
Often, the above symptoms are misleading people, as they start thinking about the occurrence of a cold. However, after 2-3 days, smallpox begins to appear much brighter. The following symptoms appear:
- the formation of roseol on the surface of the skin, which have a pinkish tint;
- the formation of papules in the central part of previously appeared roseola;
- isolation of exudate from wounds;
- transformation of wounds into vesicles;
- suppuration of wounds;
- the appearance of pus and the formation of a dense crust on the surface.
Some individuals who contract smallpox develop diarrhea, severe itching of the skin, and unsteady gait.
Diagnosis of the disease
It is difficult to independently determine the diagnosis, and therefore the help of specialists will be needed to identify smallpox. Special laboratory tests are needed to check the animal for smallpox.
During the diagnosis, virological studies will be needed. To carry them out, you will have to take slices of smallpox and place them in securely closing tubes. By conducting such studies, they are trying to detect the accumulation of smallpox virions. A bioassay is also carried out on piglets that are susceptible to the disease. If a virus is present in the test material, then pockmarks should appear a week after applying the suspension.
To identify the type of virus, electron microscopy of the material is performed. It is harvested from gilts that are infected with the virus and need treatment. Smallpox virions may be detected during microscopy. Sometimes protein-type paracrystals are found along with them.
Home treatments for swinepox
Smallpox piglets are considered a serious disease that often leads to the death of animals. This disease is relatively young, and therefore today there is still no effective treatment. Therefore, it is recommended to closely monitor the health of the gilts and examine them for symptoms.
If there is a suspicion of smallpox infection, the sick individual must be immediately isolated from other animals. The shed where the sick piglets were kept must be disinfected.
Although there is no cure, the affected skin still needs to be treated to speed up healing. In this case, the following means are used:
- two percent sodium solution;
- formaldehyde;
- 3% sulfur-carbon mixture.
To prevent complications in sick animals, the following must be done:
- Introduce antibiotic agents with which you can alleviate the condition of the pig. The most commonly used drug is streptomycin.
- Treat the crusts with ointment or neutral fat.
- Apply chloramine solution and iodine to ulcerated surfaces.
- When pus is released, treat wounds with chamomile decoction with potassium permanganate.
Preventive actions
It is necessary to regularly carry out preventive measures to prevent the spread of the disease. To keep gilts from getting smallpox, farmers need to do the following:
- not to use feed or equipment from dysfunctional farms;
- pigs arriving at the farm must be kept separate from other animals for a month;
- regularly engage in veterinary examinations;
- monitor the condition of the sheds in which the pigs are kept;
- organize a ventilation system inside the pigsty for normal air circulation;
- add more foods to the diet, which contain a lot of vitamins and minerals.
Conclusion
Smallpox is a dangerous disease that can spread to piglets and other farm animals. Each farmer should familiarize himself with the detailed description and features of such a disease.This will help in the future to diagnose smallpox in time and prevent its occurrence in other animals.
