SWINE FEVER.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVII, Issue 4402, 8 June 1933, Page 3

SWINE FEVER.

SYMPTOMS AND PRECAUTIONS.

In view of the fact that an outbreak of this disease has occurred in the Dominion, the following symptoms of swine fever will be of interest to farmers.

This disease is of a highly infectious and contagious character, typhoid in nature, and accompanied by an eruptive fever and is peculiar only to the pig. The incubation period of the disease is from 5 to 10 days; a rise of temperature will generally be found about the fifth day and visible signs of illness about the eighth day after infection.

The symptoms vary according to in which form the disease shows itself, whether it is the acute, sub-acute, or chronic form. An outbreak may be ushered in with cases of the acute type, killing off the most susceptible animals and followed by the sub-acute or chronic forms of the disease, with a fair proportion of recoveries. On the other hand you may find an outbreak beings and ends with acute cases and a high death rate. It is to be remembered that young swine are more severely and rapidly attacked than older ones.

In acute cases the animals refuse all food and bury themselves in the litter or lie huddled up in a corner. There may be a catarrhal discharge from the eyes and swelling of the eyelids and the animals appear to be running a temperature, which may rise to 106 or even 108. Constipation is at first usually present, followed by an offensive diarrhoea if the animal lives long enough. There is great prostration and the appearance of a rash on the skin, especially behind the ears, inside of thighs and forearms. The animals gradually become comatose and die after an illness of two to four days.

In the sub-acute cases more typical symptoms are seen. Only one or two of the herd may be affected at any time, and the period of illness is much longer. Complete loss of appetite, shivering and prostration is shown. Sometimes the lungs are affected and symptoms of pneumonia are shown, accelerated breathing, etc., and a cough, with sometimes a discharge from the nostrils and sticky discharge from the eyes. There is great thirst, affected animals drinking everything available of a fluid nature. Diarrhoea of an offensive nature usually follows the constipation and the faeces (which are very infectious) are thick and viscid at first, but later on as the disease progresses they become thin and watery. The gait becomes unsteady from loss of muscular power which sometimes ends in partial or complete paralysis. A short, husky cough is usually present and may be easily detected by waking up affected animals. Skin lesions may be present or absent, but it is, however, very common to find a pin head rash upon which small brown or black scales or even ulcers may ultimately appear. Chronic cases have a hard, stunted, unthrifty look, the skin is a pale ashy colour, appetite capricious and there may be intermittent diarrhoea, husky cough often present and eyelids a sticky discharge. As previously stated, this disease is a of a highly infectious and contagious nature accompanied by a heavy death-rate, and it is advised that farmers keep a close watch on their pigs and report to the Department of Agriculture any signs of unusual sickness.