I. Acute Hypoglycemia in Newly Born Pigs. (So-called Baby Pig Disease)

Abstract

During the past 8 years sporadic outbreaks of an unidentified, highly fatal malady of newly-born pigs have come to the attention of the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station. This, or an indistinguishable malady, has been arbitrarily referred to as baby pig disease.∗ In connection with different outbreaks on widely separated farms an increasing number of naturally affected pigs has been delivered to the laboratory for examination, while a limited number of affected herds has been inspected to observe methods of managing the pregnant sows. So far as could be determined the rations fed the pregnant sows appeared adequate. However, further information regarding the relation of feeding of the pregnant sow to the disease in newly-born litters is desirable.

Pigs that suffer from the disease referred to present a characteristic syndrome. In typical outbreaks newly-born pigs, though apparently normal at birth, suddenly develop symptoms. Pigs that immediately display similar or indistinguishable symptoms at birth are purposely excluded from consideration in this report. In the typical syndrome, apparently normal litters at approximately 24 to 48 hours of age show symptoms of shivering, dullness and inappetence. Affected pigs often emit a weak crying squeal. Coincident with the loss of appetite and weakness, the hair coat becomes rough and the affected pigs leave the nest and lapse into coma. Death of several or all pigs in the affected litters often occurs within 24 to 36 hours after the first symptoms are manifested. The extent of the loss has ranged from one to 22 litters, representing approximately 5 to 95% of the pigs farrowed in some herds.

At autopsy no gross pathologic lesions have been observed. Supplementing gross autopsy examination of typically affected pigs repeated efforts have been made to demonstrate in the tissues the presence of pathogenic agents such as bacteria, filtrable viruses, protozoa and toxins.