OCCURRENCE OF THE INTESTINAL HEMORRHAGIC SYNDROME IN PIGS FROM UPPER AUSTRIA

In the year 1994, at the Bundesanstalt fur veterinarmedizinische Unter suchungen in Linz and at the Tierkorperwertungsanstalt Regau, the ''In testinal Haemorrhagic Syndrome'' was diagnosed in 56 out of 515 examin ed pigs weighing more than 20 kg. Accordingly 10.9 % of all investigat ed pigs belonging to this weight class died of it. 47 sections were ev aluated to describe this illness. Histopathological and bacteriologica l examinations of stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, colon and sometimes of lymph nodes of intestine, root of the mesentery, heart, lung, kidney and spleen as well as parasite logical examinations of th e gastrointestinal tract and tests for biological inhibitory substance s in the contents of the small intestine were carried out. The main ch aracteristic finding was the dark red coloured and distended small int estine after torsion of the intestine with severe haemorrhagic effusio n into the lumen of this part of the bowels. The most prominent histop athological features seen in the jejunum and the ileum were congestion s and haemorrhagic infarction. In our opinion the ''Intestinal Haemorr hagic Syndrome'' represented a twist of mesentery showing a rotation o f the small and the large intestine with a succeeding shock, due to st rangulated vessels in the mesenterium including jejunum and ileum. Thi s kind of displacement is characteristic in its typical manifestation. Probably the syndrome can be reduced by feeding the animals several t imes a day. The twist of mesentery is possibly caused by a dietary fai lure. A connection with whey feeding could not be found. Microbiologic al or parasitological organisms were considered to be of no aetiologic importance. The 16 positive tests for biological inhibitory substance s may be due to ineffective therapies.