Let's talk about Sow Mortality

Detection of Clostridium novyi Type B Alpha toxin antibodies in swine sera in Spain

ESPHVI 2017



Bernal, I; Camprodon, A; Jordà, R.

The aim of this trial was to establish the prevalence of specific antibodies of Clostridium novyi α-toxin in breeder sows sera in Spanish farms.

Clostridium novyi is an anaerobic, spore - forming, gram-positive rod, in which the lethal and necrotizing α-toxin is considered to be the main toxin of the type B strain in pigs.

 

C. novyi has been associated with sudden death in swine with unusually rapid post-mortem decomposition. Cases of sudden death in sows have been reported in intensive swine-breeding units in Europe, and in which C. novyi type B has been isolated.

These results demonstrate the large number of sows that have naturally developed antibodies against C. novyi α-toxin under field conditions and, on the other hand, the negative subpopulation that exists without which undoubtedly involves a high risk factor for sudden death in breeders.

Although these results cannot be linked directly to the incidence of sudden death in breeders, they shed more light on the research into the prevalence of C. novyi.