27 The Trusted Source for Canada’s Pork Producers Better Pork | December 2023 tion elsewhere in the body (e.g., heart, lungs and abdominal organs). Factors that may increase the severity of Mycoplasma arthritis are immunosuppressive viruses (e.g., porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome and porcine circovirus 2/3), co-infections with other bacteria, injuries and stress. Diagnosis To diagnose Mycoplasma arthritis, it is important to rule out other possible causes of lameness. These include injuries/trauma, dietary deficiencies (rickets), degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis and osteochondrosis), foot problems, suboptimal flooring and septic arthritis caused by other bacteria (Glasser’s, Streptococcus suis, Actinobacillus suis, Staphylococcus spp., etc.). Your veterinarian may want to take samples to send to a diagnostic lab to aid in this process. The best way to determine if Mycoplasma is present or not is by PCR testing on joint fluid or swabs from affected joints in acutely affected pigs. However, these pathogens can often be present without causing disease, so it is ideal to also submit joint tissue or whole legs to the lab so the pathologist can look for microscopic lesions consistent with mycoplasmal infection. Treatment Treatment of individual pigs with Mycoplasma arthritis should be discussed with your veterinarian. Typically, a combination of both an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory medication is recommended. The antibiotic helps to treat the infection while the anti-inflammatory helps to reduce the pain and inflammation associated with the arthritis. It is important to note that not all antibiotics will be effective against mycoplasmas because they are structurally different than other bacteria. Please consult your veterinarian to ensure you are using the correct antibiotic at the correct dose for the treatment of arthritis. With the welfare of the pigs in mind, we need to treat pain with anti-inflammatories. Some examples of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) for pigs include meloxicam (e.g. Metacam®, Rheumocam®, Meloxidyl®, and Bovicam®) and ketoprofen (e.g. Anafen®, Ketoprofen V), among others. Examples of steroidal anti-inflammatory medications include isoflupredone and dexamethasone. Please consult your veterinarian regarding which products they recommend for managing pain in your pigs. HERD HEALTH LEAN EFFICIENT PROVEN Professional Nutrition & Management Services Animal Nutrition Inc. BSC Want to reduce antibiotics and maintain gain? 1-800-268-7769 Feed BSC Starter A premix Joints affected by Mycoplasma can have variable degrees of swelling. Dr. Jessica Law photo
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