Swine Meat and Diseases Essay -- Agriculture Farming Food Pigs Essays

Swine Meat and Diseases Many swine disease outbreaks occur every year and are most often related to a large number of pigs raised in the same area or facility continuously. Raising and producing a numerous amount of pigs can result in overcrowding which can then result in pigs who are disease carriers. These disease carriers can continue to infect and re-infect a swine producer’s herd. Without knowing or realizing that the hogs are infected the diseases can travel from swine farm to swine farm introducing new diseases into their swine herds which can produce more carriers. African Swine Fever: One of the most destructive diseases in swine known worldwide is the African Swine Fever, or ASF. ASF is a viral disease which affects both wild pigs and domestic pigs. The disease is often contracted when pigs consume uncooked food scraps and contaminated garbage or water. There are many symptoms of African Swine Fever, some of which include reddening of the ears and snout, bloody diarrhea, high fever, skin blotching and abortion frequently occurs in pregnant sows. Fatality is a very common outcome from contracting ASF. If death does not occur, the surviving pigs can carry the virus for months on end. There is absolutely no treatment or vaccine that exists for a cure of this disease. The main prevention method for the African Swine Fever virus is to be sure that all garbage fed to pigs is thoroughly cooked. ASF is a disease that can be very contagious if it is not controlled. Those pigs that become infected should be eradicated by slaughter and disposing of the carcass by burning or burial. One positive aspect of African Swine Fever is that humans have yet to transmit it. Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome: .. ...ne disease outbreaks, a disease can be detected at an earlier stage making the outbreak less devastating. References Amass, F. Sandra (2004) Procedures for preventing transmission of foot-and-mouth disease virus by people. The Veterinary Journal, 103, 143-149 Chae, C. (2005) A review of porcine circovirus 2-assoiciated syndromes and diseases. The Veterinary Journal, 169, 326-336. Hulten, F. (2004) Evaluation of environmental and management-related risk factors associated with chronic mastitis in sows. AJVR, 65, 1398-1403. Walker, Randy (1992) Swine: Swine Health Program. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Retrieved from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/AA/AA080500.pdf Olega-Perez, A. (1990) Distribution and biology of Ornithodoros erraticus in parts of Spain affected by African swine fever. The Veterinary Record, 126, 32-37.