WASTING SYNDROME
Authors:
Dušan Pernek, DVM, MSc.
Darja Mirt, DVM, PhD.
POSTWEANING M. WASTING SYNDROME
• recent outbreaks in USA, Canada and most of EU countries, including
Slovenia
• clinical signs are the most distinctive in weaned pigs, aged 6-16
weeks, especielly between 8-12 weeks of age
• first clinical signs appear about 3 weeks after weaning, but some can
be seen even in suckling period
• typical clinical sings:
– enlarged, swollen lymph nodes, anaemia, laboured breathing,
jaundice
– diarrhoea, gastric ulcer, coughing, nervous signs
– immunosuppression, often secundary infections
– extreme wasting and exhaustion that lead to euthanasia or culling
• incidence 5-10% (even up to 30%)
• mortality between 50-100%
• in case of co-infections, clinical signs are severe and number of
animals affected may extremely increase
POSTWEANING M. WASTING SYNDROME
• circo virus type-2 appears to be the fundamental agent
for the cause of PMWS
• when mixed with other viruses, especially PRRS or
parvovirus, a higher risk of severe disease can be
expected
• positive reactors were confirmed in cases without any
clinical signs
• PMWS can persist up to 18 months, even more