Prevalence of Haemophilus parasuis“Glaesserella parasuis” in pigs in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Haemophilus parasuis, a gram-negative bacterium as an early commensal colonizer in the upper respiratory tract of weaning pigs (Sus scrofa), is one of the most important bacterial pathogens affecting pig populations. It is the causative agent of Glässer’s disease, causing systemic infection and polyserositis, meningitis, and arthritis. H. parasuis infection can result in high mortality and morbidity with, the significant economic losses for pig producers. To estimate the overall disease prevalence of H. parasuis in pigs from China, we performed a meta-analysis using five bibliographical databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP Chinese Journal Databases. A total of 41 articles published between 2005 and 2019, fulfilled the final inclusion criteria. The overall prevalence of H. parasuis in pigs in China was 27.8 % with the highest prevalence between 2011 and 2015 (41.0 %). In terms of pig age, the point estimate of H. parasuis prevalence was higher in suckling piglets (29.2 %) compared with that for other pig ages. The prevalence in the serum subgroup (29.8 %) was higher than that in the nasal swab subgroup (12.5 %). The results of the present meta-analysis showed that H. parasuis infection was common in pig populations in China; therefore, effective control measures are necessary to reduce this threat to pig populations.