31 March, 2010
The vet has just phoned with the latest lab results.
The SAC lab has been unable to determine the infective agent and is concerned the pericarditis is atypical (no pus, no yellow fibrin) for a bacterial infection. Instead, the piglets had hemorrhagic pericarditis.
The most common causes of haemorrhagic pericarditis are tumors or TB, but neither piglet had these.
Other possibilities continue to be bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa (parasites).
Commonly found parasites are unlikely as the sow was treated with wormer seven days before farrowing.
The other organs show no signs of typical diseases or infective agents.
The vet said samples are now going to the more advanced veterinary lab in Edinburgh for further tests and analysis.
The costs are going to be quite steep now, but we need to know what affected the piglets and there’s also the wider implications for other pig producers, livestock producers and, indeed, the human population.
We’re to continue treating with antibiotics (and we’re to maintain isolation—which is easy as we’re snowed in.
What on earth are the costs of all this? Horrifying I bet.