Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, Grugliasco, 10095, Torino, Italy.
Swivet Research sas, 42123, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
BMC Vet Res. 2023 Feb 24;19(1):54. doi: 10.1186/s12917-023-03611-6.
Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) has been isolated from many animals, frequently as the cause of fatal myocarditis, but pigs are the most susceptible domestic specie. The virus was isolated in swine farms since 1958 in Panama and Europe from cases of sudden death in young pigs, and the main origin of outbreaks has been assumed to be local rodent populations. There is no treatment for the disease.
The clinical case describes an outbreak of encephalomyocarditis virus in a farrowing (farm A) and a weaning (farm B) site, with mortality that reached 24.2% in suckling piglets and 7.7% in weaners. The farms were located in an endemic Italian area, and the outbreak was characterised by high mortality with sudden death and clinical signs due to heart failure (trembling, dispnea and fever). The rodents control program was the key action in managing the outbreak. However, in the weaning site, the lack of rodent program in some unexplored areas of the barn (false ceiling) was responsible of a longer time of resolution of the outbreak. An unusual support treatment approach from human medicine suggestion was also applied using acetylsalicylic acid for its antiphlogistic and antithrombotic effects.
To control the rodent population in a pig farm is often difficult and requires a deep knowledge also of the rodents habits. Considering the lack of treatment for the disease and the absence of available vaccines in several Countries, acetylsalicylic acid might be of interest for further studies as an important support for pigs' recovery.
脑心肌炎病毒（EMCV）已从许多动物中分离出来，常作为致命心肌炎的病因，但猪是最易感染的家畜。自 1958 年以来，该病毒已在巴拿马和欧洲的养猪场从仔猪猝死病例中分离出来，疫情的主要来源被认为是当地的啮齿动物种群。目前尚无针对该疾病的治疗方法。
临床病例描述了一起脑炎心肌炎病毒在分娩（农场 A）和断奶（农场 B）场的暴发，哺乳期仔猪死亡率高达 24.2%，断奶仔猪死亡率为 7.7%。这些农场位于意大利的一个地方性流行地区，疫情的特点是死亡率高，伴有突发性死亡和心力衰竭引起的临床症状（颤抖、呼吸困难和发热）。控制啮齿动物的方案是管理疫情的关键措施。然而，在断奶场，由于缺乏对谷仓一些未勘探区域（假天花板）的啮齿动物控制计划，疫情的解决时间延长了。还从人类医学建议中应用了一种不寻常的支持治疗方法，使用乙酰水杨酸因其具有抗炎和抗血栓作用。
在养猪场控制啮齿动物种群通常很困难，并且还需要深入了解啮齿动物的习性。由于该疾病缺乏治疗方法，并且在几个国家没有可用的疫苗，乙酰水杨酸可能作为支持猪康复的重要措施，值得进一步研究。
