Diagnosis of Clostridium perfringens type A enteritis in piglets

A 120-sow,continuously farrowing swine unit from Minnesota experienced an epidemic of diarrhea in 1to 3-day-old pigs. Clinical illness, which usually began shortly after birth, was characterized by high morbidity (nearly 100%)and negligible mortality « 1%).Diarrheic pigs remained vigorous, continued to nurse, and recovered spontaneously in 4-5 days. Diarrhea was clinically unresponsive to treatment with gentamicin or trimethoprim-sulfadimethoxine but respondedwell to spectinomycin therapy. The illness did not adversely affect preweaning mortality rates, which remained low « 10%)despite the persistent diarrhea in this herd throughout a 4-month period. Routine vaccination of sows against transmissible gastroenteritis (TGB), rota virus, Clostridium perfringens type C, and Escherichia coli pilus types K88, K99, 987P,and F41 did not prevent or reduce the morbidity.