Postweaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome - Management Practices To Decrease Severity of PMWS

Management Practices To Decrease Severity of PMWS

François Madec, a French author, has written many recommendations on how reduce PMWS symptoms. They are mostly measures for disinfection, management, and hygiene, referred to as the "20 Madec Points" .

These measures have recently been expanded upon by Dr. David Barcellos, a professor at the Veterinary College in the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He presented these points at "1st Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Symposium about swine management, reproduction, and hygiene".

He divided his points by pig growth stage, and they can be loosely summarized as:

• keep the gutters clean
• increase feeder space
• use pens or small cages with solid dividers
• avoid mixing pigs from different origins
• improve the quality of air
• decrease maximum capacity, giving each pig more room
• separate sick animals as soon as possible, and treat them in a hospital pen. If they do not respond to antibiotics in three days, they should be culled
• control access of people and other animals
• reduce invironmental stress factors such as gases and air currents
• use immunizations and preventive medications for secondary agents commonly associated with PMWS