Ileitis Control in Finishing Pigs - New UK Research

Originally from: Mike
                        
After antibiotic growth promoters were removed from pig feed in January this year, an increase in scouring and medication of growers and finishers was expected (due especially ileitis but also to mixed infections with other bacteria).

However the removal of the growth promoter salinomycin has opened up the opportunity to use tiamulin in strategic control programmes against mixed bacteria infections in pigs – not formerly possible because salinomycin is incompatible with tiamulin.

A group of UK vets teamed up to run a field trial to test Tiamulin's effect on health, performance and economic parameters on a farm with a history of mixed infections in the finishing house.

They have now reported their results (at the 2006 conference of the International Pig Veterinary Society a few weeks ago) and have put their results graphs and clinical photographs online at: www.octagon-services.co.uk/articles/mixedinfections.htm

Bascially they found that strategic applications of tiamulin and lincomycin/spectinomycin were generally effective in controlling mixed enteric and respiratory infections. Tiamutin, the Novartis formulation of tiamulin showed a noticeably improved response with regard to swine dysentery and ileitis treatment in comparison with the Linco-Spectin formulation of lincomycin and spectinomycin.