Control and prevention of bacterial diseases in swine

Bacterial diseases in pigs cause major health, welfare, and performance problems. They are also responsible for the high usage of antimicrobials and therefore contribute to the problem of antimicrobial resistance. This chapter discusses the control of a selected number of bacterial pathogens that are economically very important for the pig industry worldwide, namely respiratory disease caused by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, intestinal disease caused by Escherichia coli, Lawsonia intracellularis, and Brachyspira infections, and systemic disease caused by Streptococcus suis infections. Control measures should focus on optimising management practices, biosecurity, housing conditions, and nutrition. Vaccination may also be a valuable additional tool for disease control. Vaccines however mostly provide only partial protection and do not eliminate the pathogen from the herd. In addition, commercial vaccines are not always available, e.g., against S. suis infections. Eradication might be considered for some pathogens, e.g., Brachyspira hyodysenteriae, but it is currently not an option for many other pathogens, e.g., E. coli and Streptococcus suis.