The prevalence of Brodetella bronchiseptica and turbinate (conchal) atrophy in English pig herds in 1978-79.

Examination of pigs (eight to 10 per farm) slaughtered between December 1978 and March 1979 at abattoirs in southern England indicated that infection with Bordetella bronchiseptica was widespread. The organism was recovered from the nasal cavity of 424 out of 844 (50 per cent) of such pigs and these were distributed among 79 out of 86 (91 per cent) of the herds submitting animals. The sensitivity to sulphonamide or potentiated sulphonamide of 255 of these strains was determined: in 20 out of 70 (25 per cent) herds there was partial or complete resistance to the former drug and, in 16 out of 79 (20 per cent), to the latter also. Despite this general level of infection and bacterial resistance the prevalence and severity of turbinate atrophy was less than in a survey undertaken by others in 1974. Thus about 74 per cent of pigs had no or minor atrophy only and about 10 per cent severe lesions. Some 10 per cent of the farms sent groups in which the majority of the pigs had severe atrophy.