Skip to main content
PMC home page
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica logoLink to Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica
. 1979 Dec 1;20(4):498–514. doi: 10.1186/BF03546577

Pathological Lesions in Swine at Slaughter

I. Baconers

Patologiske funn på svin ved slakting. I. Slaktesvin

Kjell I Flesjå 1,2,✉, Hans O Ulvesæter 1,2
PMCID: PMC8322918  PMID: 546207

Abstract

An extended disease recording programme in pigs has been carried out by the meat inspection service at Sentralslakteriet, Forus, Stavanger. A data system including 57 disease codes has been applied. In the period 1975–1977 an average of 85,000 baconers were slaughtered yearly. About 39 % of these were given disease remarks; 42–47 % of the lesions were directly related to the parasites Sarcoptes scabiei (rind lesions) and Ascaris suum (white spots in the livers). The thoracic cavity was the most commonly affected part of the body with 30–35 % of all recorded lesions.

Sixteen disease codes occurred at frequencies above 0.3 %, and they encompassed approx. 97 % of all recorded lesions. Scabies occurred at an average of 12 % of the fatteners. Parasitic hepatitis of severe and moderate degrees were seen in about 11 %, pleurisy in 7 %, pneumonia — severe and moderate — in 5.4 %, pericarditis in 4.3 %, pyaemia and abscess/-es in 2.5 %, tail lesions in 2.3 %, perihepatitis and other non-parasitic liver lesions in 2.2 %, polyarthritis and arthritis in 1.7 %, tuberculous lesions in the cervical lymph nodes in 0.9 %, peritonitis in 0.9 % and atrophic rhinitis — external lesions — in 0.8 % of the carcasses. The majority of the other 41 disease codes occurred at frequencies below 0.1 %.

A seasonal variation was pronounced in scabies, numerous white spots in the liver, and tuberculous lesions in the cervical lymph nodes. It could be noted in pleurisy, pericarditis, perihepatitis and other non-parasitic liver lesions, arthritis and atrophic rhinitis, but not in pneumonias, moderate number of white spots in the liver, tail lesions, pyaemia, abscess/-es, peritonitis and polyarthritis.

Keywords: disease recording, slaughter-house, post-mortem findings, bacon swine

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.7 MB).

Footnotes

Supported by grants from the Norwegian Agricultural Research Council.

References

  1. Balzer J. Betragtninger over dyrlægernes arbejde ved kødkontrollen. (Comments on the veterinarians’ work as meat inspectors) Dansk Vet.-T. 1973;56:920–924. [Google Scholar]
  2. Bäckstrøm L., Bremer H. Sjukdomsregistreringar på svin vid slaktbesiktning — ett hjälpmedel i førebyggande svinhälsovård. (Disease registrations on pigs at slaughter as a method of preventive and therapeutic veterinary medicine in swine production) Svensk Vet.-Tidn. 1976;28:312–336. [Google Scholar]
  3. Bäckstrøm L., Bremer H., Dyrendahl I., Olsson H. Nyssjuka hos svin. En fältstudie av sjukdomens inverkan på djurens tillväxt, samband med modersuggornas ålder och genetiska disposition i en besättning med høg nyssjukefrekvens. (Atrophic rhinitis in swine. The relationship between atrophic rhinitis, weight gain, age of the dam, and genetic disposition in a swine pedigree herd with a high incidence of the disease). Svensk Vet.-Tidn. 1976;28:449–455. [Google Scholar]
  4. Cederwall A., Holm G. Køttbesiktning och hälsokontroll i samverkan. (Meat inspection as part of animal health schemes) Svensk Vet.-Tidn. 1974;26:504–506. [Google Scholar]
  5. Connan R. M. Ascariasis: The development of eggs of Ascaris suum under the conditions prevailing in a pig house. Vet. Rec. 1977;100:421–422. doi: 10.1136/vr.100.20.421. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fagerberg R., Persson R. Førsøk med anthelminticum i gödsvins-besättningar. (Experiments with anthelmintic in porker herds) Nord. Vet.-Med. 1960;12:499–512. [Google Scholar]
  7. Flesjå K. I., Fodstad F., Uluesæter H. O. Tuberkuloselignende forandringer i lymfeknuter hos gris. (Tuberculous lesions in lymph nodes of swine) Nord. Vet.-Med. 1978;30:61–70. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fogedby E. Orienterende undersøgelser over udbredelsen af den enzootiske pneumoni hos svin. (Preliminary investigations on the prevalence of enzootic pneumonia in pigs) Dansk Vet.-T. 1967;50:878–886. [Google Scholar]
  9. Goodwin R. F. W., Whittlestone P. The detection of enzootic pneumonia in pig herds. Vet. Rec. 1967;81:643–647. doi: 10.1136/vr.81.25.643. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Haarbo K., Hemmingsen I., Schmidt P. E., Svendsen P., Wester-gaard J. M. Vulnera morsa caudae suum. Nord. Vet.-Med. 1966;18:441–451. [Google Scholar]
  11. Hornwall Ä., Bäckstrøm L. Information om førsøk avseende slakt-besiktningsstatistik. (Statistical methods in meat inspection routines) Svensk Vet.-Tidn. 1971;23:292–293. [Google Scholar]
  12. Høgsved, O.: Preliminära data från ett orienterande førsøk med halm-strø åt gödsvin. (Preliminary report from a study on the effect of straw bedding in swine). Lecture, N.J.F. Symposium, Kalnes jordbruksskole, Sarpsborg 1969, 10 pp.
  13. Kleeberg H. H., Nel F. F. Porcine mycobacterial lymphadenitis. J. S.Afr. vet. med. Ass. 1969;40:233–250. [Google Scholar]
  14. Larson K., Bäckstrøm L. Slaktbesiktningsstatistik och miljøfaktorer i slaktsvinsproduktionen. (Abattoir inspection statistics and environmental factors in the bacon production) Svensk Vet.-Tidn. 1971;23:294–306. [Google Scholar]
  15. Lindqvist, J.-O.: Animal health and environment in the production of fattening pigs. A study of disease incidence in relation to certain environmental factors, daily weight gain and carcass classification. Acta vet. scand. 1974, Suppl. 51, 78 pp. [PubMed]
  16. Madsen J. P. Sygdomsstatistik for Sorøegnens Andelssvineslagteri 1960–1963. (Disease records at the regional cooperative abattoir of Sorø 1960–1963) Dansk Vet.-T. 1964;47:909–913. [Google Scholar]
  17. Mandrup M. Enzootisk pneumoni (lungesyge) hos svin. Udbredelse og økonomiske forhold. (Enzootic pneumonia in pigs. Prevalence and economic considerations) Dansk Vet.-T. 1967;50:611–615. [Google Scholar]
  18. Nielsen K. H., Larsen L. P. Kollektiv bekæmpelse af svinets endo-parasitter, og disses indflydelse på svineproduktionen. (Campaign against endoparasites in pigs and the impact on pig production) Dansk Vet.-T. 1976;59:176–181. [Google Scholar]
  19. Nordfeldt, S., N. E. Olofsson & O. Swahn: Arten och frekvensen av lungförändringar på de i svinstamkontrollen deltagande djuren. (Type and frequency of lung lesions in pigs officially tested from pedigree herds). Statens Husdjurförsök 1950, Medd. nr. 39, 16 pp.
  20. Penny R. H. C., Mullen P. A. Atrophic rhinitis of pigs: Abattoir studies. Vet. Rec. 1975;96:518–521. doi: 10.1136/vr.96.24.518. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Persson L., Lindqvist J.-O. Studier av parasitägg och larver i svinträck och gödsel vid slaktsvinsuppfödning. (Studies on nematode eggs and larvae in manure from bacon pigs) Svensk Vet.-Tidn. 1975;27:997–1002. [Google Scholar]
  22. Ronéus, O.: Studies on the aetiology and pathogenesis of white spots in the liver of pigs. Acta vet. scand. 1966, Suppl. 16, 112 pp. [PubMed]
  23. Switzer, W. P. & D. O. Farrington: Infectious atrophic rhinitis. In Diseases of Swine. Ed. by H. W. Dunne & A. D. Leman, Iowa State Univ. Press, Ames, 4th Ed., 1975, 687–711.
  24. Thoen, C. O. & A. G. Karlson: Tuberculosis. In Diseases of Swine. Ed. by H. W. Dunne & A. D. Leman. Iowa State Univ. Press, Ames, 4th Ed., 1975, 712–729.
  25. Tielen, M. J. M.: De frekwentie en de zoøtechnische preventie van long- en leveraandoeniggen bij varkens. (Incidence and the prevention by animal care of lung and liver affections of fattening pigs). Mededel. Landbouwhogeschool Wageningen 1974, 74–7, 141 pp.
  26. Truijen, W. T.: Enige zoøtechnische aspecten van enzoøtische pneumonie bij varkens. (Some zootechnical aspects of enzootic pneumonia in bacon swine). Thesis, Utrecht 1967, 292 pp.
  27. Uhleman J., Held R., Müller K., Jahn H., Dürring H. Schweinetuberculose in einem Mastkombinat nach Einstreu von Hobelund Sägespänen. (Tuberculosis in a herd of bacon pigs in relation to the use of sawdust and wood shavings as bedding) Mh. Vet.-Med. 1975;30:175–180. [Google Scholar]
  28. Young, G. A.: Is viruspneumonia of pigs a new swine disease. Norden News 1956, 30, No. 2, 6–7.
  29. Aalund O., Willeberg P., Mandrup M., Riemann H. Lung lesions at slaughter. Associations to factors in the herd. Nord. Vet.-Med. 1976;28:487–495. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Aalund, O.: Halebidning, en stress-indikator. (Tail biting — an indicator of stress). Dansk Vet.-T. 1978, 61, 431–435.

Articles from Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica are provided here courtesy of BMC

RESOURCES