Diarrhea Caused by Coccidiosis Showing up in Alberta

Farmscape for September 7, 2022

Full Interview 19:43 Listen

The Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network reports an increasing number of cases of Coccidiosis have been showing up in Alberta.
Infections that cause diarrhea in pigs were among the highlights of the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network’s swine disease surveillance report for the second quarter of 2022. CWSHIN Manager Dr. Jette Christensen reports the number of active cases of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea in Manitoba is declining and the number of transitional or presumptive negative premises is increasing but for other diarrheas it’s the usual suspects.

Clip-Dr. Jette Christensen-Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network:
Rotavirus is still high. It’s on the list of concerns for practitioners. It’s something they’re trying to deal with and there seems to be changes in the subtypes of Rotaviruses and how they are occurring on the farms. There’s been some farms that have started a new vaccine and it’s showing promise but it’s too early to confirm how big a help that will be. Coccidiosis has been present in Manitoba for many years.
It’s reported to have an uptick over the hot summer months where they see a little bit more diarrhea caused by Coccidiosis so they are ready to treat it but the new trend is that it has been very rare in Alberta but now they’re beginning to see cases of Coccidiosis in Alberta too.
Finally, PED has a cousin, a Delta Coronavirus and we haven’t seen that for many months, years. It’s present in other provinces outside the region and in the U.S. It’s still a rare disease but, in Manitoba, there’s been one case in that last quarter.

Dr. Christensen advises producers in Alberta and Saskatchewan to be looking out for unexplained diarrhea.
She says it could be Coccidiosis and she encourages producers to consult their veterinarians if they suspect more diarrhea than usual.

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