Greasy Pig Disease

Other names	Exudative epidermitis
Causal agent	Staphylococcus hyicus plus fighting
Age group	3-20 kg typically. A chronic form may be seen in adults.
	At any age wounds that do not heal properly may have a localized region of greasy pig disease
Clinical signs
Classic Picture	Newly weaned pig suddenly presents covered in patches of dirty brown greasy wet skin. The hair is matted and may become a gray colour. The condition extends rapidly, covering the whole body. The pig stops eating and drinking and becomes very dehydrated. After a week to 10 days the pig may be found dead.
Chronic	The pig presents with patches 3-5 cm of the above skin condition but the disease does not spread. The condition is most common/severe affecting the upper neck and hind legs - areas where the pig’s fight
Piglet	Facial necrosis is a form of greasy pig disease associated with poor milk output resulting in excessive fighting between the piglets and damage to the face
Adults	A chronic black spotty appearance on the back and neck of sows is often associated with Staph. hyicus.
Infectivity
	Nearly all pigs carry Staph. hyicus on their skin.
	Infection is from the mothers shortly after birth. Infection can even occur during birth
Post-mortem Lesions
	A severe if local exudative epidermitis.
	In severe acute cases lymph nodes may be swollen and abscessed.

Diagnosis
		Clinical examination of the animal
		Culture relatively meaningless as culture from normal skin also positive
Treatment
Individual	Isolate and place in compromised pig pen
	Inject with a staphylococcus active antimicrobials which concentrate in the skin – lincomycin for example
	Wash pig in Savlon or other disinfectant. Ideally with Lanolin in the wash to soothe the skin
	Inject with multivitamins
	Provide ad lib water through cube drinkers and if necessary provide extra water by mouth. The animals are quite dehydrated. Note a pig may drink 1 litre per 10 kg, therefore a couple of syringe fulls will not be significant
	Provide heat from a light source and clean dry straw
Control	Greasy pig disease is the end result of fighting
	Review all causes of fighting and increased aggression			Fighting over water
	Check feed space availability
	Check water supply number of drinkers and speed of flow
	Check for draughts and piling		Fighting over feed space
	On rare occasions it has been necessary to change genetics to a more sociable pig
	Reduce mixing and moving
	Check fly control in particular look for biting flies – Ophyra calcitrans
	In herd ‘outbreaks’ it is possible to control by adding lincomycin to the water supply together with a sweetener to encourage the pigs to drink
	Control mange on the farm
	Ensure feedback adequate - especially to control cases in farrowing house. Review colostrum mangement
Common differentials
	Severe Pityriasis rosea, parakeratosis associated with zinc deficiency Mineral deficiencies – generally a milling mistake
Zoonotic implications
	There are no zoonotic implications