Prevalence, distribution and pattern of gastric lesions in slaughtered pigs in south-western Nigeria

Abstract

Gastric lesions, especially ulceration, cause significant economic losses in the swine industry worldwide. The study was designed to assess its prevalence, distribution and pattern in pigs in south-western Nigeria. Slaughter house surveys were conducted on three government-established abattoirs in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states. Stomachs from 480 pigs were assessed for gross lesions, which were graded using a modification of a standard technique. Tissues from different regions of the stomach were routinely stained to assess histopathologic changes. Data were presented as frequency counts and analysed using analysis of variance and chi-square technique. Significance was determined at p ≤ 0.05. Gastric lesions were encountered across the four regions of the stomach with a point prevalence of 57.29%. The prevalence of lesions in the non-glandular region was 32.9%, with severe hyperkeratosis (13.13%) being most frequently observed (p < 0.05). Erosions were significantly higher in the cardia (8.54%) (p < 0.05), followed by fundus (8.33%). Gastric ulcers were significantly higher in the fundus (19.58%) (p < 0.05). Scars of healed ulcers and lacerations were also observed in the fundus (5.42%) (p < 0.05). The gastric lesion distribution across the four regions of the stomach and the occurrence of ulceration in the fundus showed an unusual pattern, which is rarely reported in other parts of the world. The reason for these findings in pigs in Nigeria is not fully understood; therefore, further studies are required to identify and manage these factors for increased productivity, improved animal welfare and enhanced food security.

Occurrence and distribution of gross and microscopic gastrointestinal lesions in pigs in Northern Kerala

“…However, the ulcerations and erosions were more pronounced in the glandular mucosa than in pars oesophagea. The development of these lesions in glandular mucosa might be attributed to infectious diseases such as hog cholera, salmonellosis and PCV2 infections as well as dietary hygienic practices that disrupted the normal glandular mucosal epithelium (Correa et al, 2008;Omotosho et al, 2016). Another notable lesion in stomach was diphtheritic membrane formation in the glandular mucosa which was higher among growers.…”

Evaluation of the awareness and practices of farmers on gastric ulceration in pigs in the Oyo State​, Nigeria

“…A high percentage of the farmers based on their personal experience or that of acquaintances were aware of the occurrence of ulcers in humans but only few neither knew that pigs are also affected nor the factors that may predispose pigs to the condition. This low level of awareness among relatively experienced farmers shows that the condition had received minimal attention over the years despite being a significant ongoing problem in pigs in Nigeria (Omotosho et al, 2016).…”

Global Seropositivity of Swine Leptospirosis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…In the African continent, Potis et al [ 45 ] collected blood samples from 5041 pigs aged approximately 16 to 24 weeks and reported an overall seropositivity of 22.18% (95% CI = 21.05–23.35%). The authors stated that the low seropositivity of serovar Pomona and the low titers of Icterohaemorrhagiae, Hardjo and Bratislava indicate that leptospirosis is not a major problem in swine in South Africa.…”

“… Combined evaluation of twenty studies on the seropositivity of leptospirosis in pigs [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ]. …”