The Disease

Prevention of ileitis


The best preventative option for ileitis depends on the specific farm
Find out the best option to control this disease

The big secret for an effective control of ileitis is the prevention based on the controlled exposure of the animals to L. intracellularis, with none or minimal disease, this allowing for the development of a protective immune response. The prevention of ileitis will be the topic of this article.
The good news is that this immunity will last until slaughter age, and there will be no relapse of the disease in these animals. The bad news is that these controlled exposures are easier said than done. In other words, it is not an easy task to accomplish, as each herd may have different kinetics of infection depending on the pig flow, facilities, type of floor, pig density, etc. Anyhow, below we can find the description of the antimicrobial and vaccine protocols available to control acute outbreaks and the chronic or subclinical disease that represent the second scenario based on the clinical presentation in a herd.

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L. intracellularis is a gram-negative rod with a sigmoid or curved shape and with a single long flagellum.

History and Etiology of ileitis

Not much is known about the epidemiology of L. Intracellularis.

Epidemiology of ileitis

L. Intracellularis has specific infectious mechanisms, and generally appears in the growing and finishing stages.

Pathogenesis of L. Intracellularis

The symptoms of ileitis in pigs are diverse, and include hemorrhagic or acute, chronic and subclinical.

Clinical signs and forms of ileitis

Diagnosing ileitis involves considering four important factors

Diagnosis of ileitis

Ileitis outbreaks must be treated immediately to reduce losses

Treatment of ileitis

The indications are that nearly all pig populations are susceptible to Lawsonia Intracellularis

Prevalence of ileitis

The ban on antimicrobial growth promoters in the EU affected the kinetics of the infection in different pig diseases

Potential impact of the reduction of antibiotics

Economic impact results mostly from productivity losses caused by the disease