Causes of Sow Mortality and Risks to Post-Mortem Findings in a Brazilian Intensive Swine Production System

Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate the risk factors for post-mortem findings and causes of sow mortality. A post-mortem examination and microbiological investigation were conducted on 123 sows from a breeding herd with 15,000 dams. The mortality of spontaneous death in sows occurred mostly in the peripartum period (53%; p < 0.05). The spontaneous deaths were associated with heart failures, hemorrhagic and perforating gastric ulcers, and liver torsion, while in the euthanized sows, the post-mortem findings were associated with locomotor disorders. A higher body condition score (BCS ≥ 3.5) increased (p < 0.05) heart failure on the post-mortem examination. The excessive use of manual obstetric interventions increased sow deaths resulting from cervix/uterus ruptures and increased the odds of death (p < 0.05) due to metritis. Sow mortality had a multifactorial etiology. Infections were polymicrobial. The main microbial agents identified from a septic lesion in locomotor, genitourinary, and respiratory systems were Trueperella pyogenes, Escherichia coli, and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, respectively. In conclusion, sow mortality involved multiple risk factors and several bacterial agents. These results indicate that better management practices can reduce sow mortality in swine production and increase sow welfare.

General and comparative aspects of endometritis in domestic species: A review

“…This pathological state can occur after farrowing and during the puerperium but also following artificial insemination or natural mating. The within‐herd prevalence of endometritis varies between 1.4% and 60% (Biksi et al, 2002; Heinonen et al, 1998; Kauffold et al, 2005a, 2005b; Monteiro et al, 2022) and commonly a chronic form of uterine inflammation occurs in sows (Kauffold et al, 2005a, 2005b). Endometritis is one of the main reasons for the culling of a breeding sow (Heinonen et al, 1998).…”

“…Bacteriological investigation from uteri after slaughter provides better results because contamination during the sampling procedure is less likely (Sipos et al, 2014). In a recent study, where 24 uteri with macroscopical signs of endometritis were sampled for bacteriological investigation, 45.8% of the samples yielded mixed infections with E. coli (Monteiro et al, 2022).…”

“…A cervical swab in sows with vaginal discharge for bacteriological investigation can be taken, but the results can be misleading due to contamination. Intrauterine fluid and retained foetal and placental parts can be used as an indicator for endometritis by ultrasonography (Björkman et al, 2018; Grahofer et al, 2020, 2022; Kauffold et al, 2005a, 2005b; Monteiro et al, 2022). Postmortem examination of genital organs from slaughtered sows with reproductive failure is a valuable diagnostic tool to identify reproductive disorders on farms (Dalin et al, 1997).…”

Identification of the genetic basis of sow pelvic organ prolapse

“…Several reports from Europe have also identified removal of sows due to POP as a large hurdle for swine producers ( Engblom et al, 2007 ; Iida et al, 2019 ). In regions of South America, POP has also been identified as a major reason of sow removal ( Schwertz et al, 2021 ; Monteiro et al, 2022 ). Therefore, getting a better understanding of factors that affect incidence of POP across the globe has become of increasing importance.…”

The Linear-Logistic Model: A Novel Paradigm for Estimating Dietary Amino Acid Requirements

“…High mortality rates in livestock species such as swine and poultry are a major economic and welfare concern. In major pig-producing countries, the reports show that over 10% of sows die naturally or are euthanized [1][2][3][4], and nearly 30% of pigs do not make it to the market [5][6][7][8]. In poultry, especially broilers, mortality rates can range from 2% to 8% [9][10][11].…”