A viral disease caused by a herpesvirus that affects pigs but also carnivores, ruminants and horses, leading to encephalomyelitis-type nervous symptoms.
Pigs, wild boars, carnivores, ruminants, horses.
Pig oral and respiratory secretions, sperm, milk, carcasses, offal and meat (a problem for carnivores but not for man: it is not a zoonosis).
Neurological disorders in piglets - © FAO, 1997 |
The symptoms are similar to rabies ("pseudo rabies").
The clinical signs are dominated by encephalomyelitis, paralysis of the pharynx and pruritus, causing death in less than 48 hours (faster than rabies).
There are also other forms: violent (death without symptoms), gastro-intestinal (vomiting, diarrhoea) or forme fruste.
Congestion and consolidation of the lungs (pig) - © FAO, 1997 | White to yellow necrotic foci on spleen (pig) - © FAO, 1997 |
Suspicion in the event of abortion, high death and meningoencephalomyelitis rates among piglets, respiratory problems in fattening pigs and cases among carnivores and ruminants on the farm (revealers).
Aujeszky's disease should not be confused with :
Virological diagnosis by virus isolation on cell culture and determination of the cytopathic effect and identification by seroneutralization or immunofluorescence.
Samples from pigs : encephalon, tonsils, whole piglet, aborted foetuses, nasal swabs. For ruminants, the encephalon or the spinal cord from the area affected by pruritus if the symptoms are not on the head.
NB: treat the samples as if they were suspected of rabies .
* In disease-free areas : hygiene + introduction of animals from disease-free herds checked by serology
* In infected areas :
Inactivated or modified virus vaccines.
Choose deleted vaccines, which make it possible to distinguish between vaccinated and infected animals, since vaccination does not prevent the establishment of a latent infection.
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