ANEMIA AND LOW VIABILITY IN PIGLETS INFECTED WITH EPERYTHROZOON SUIS

Eperythrozoon suis infection was identified in a pig herd during an in vestigation into anaemia and low viability in newborn piglets and seve re regenerative macrocytic anaemia in older piglets, The organisms wer e identified in the erythrocytes of piglets a few days old. Extensive investigations failed to detect other causes of the anaemia and low vi ability. There was no response to parenteral iron administration alone but the piglets' viability and anaemia responded to the administratio n of tetracyclines. This is the first report of E suis infection in No rthern Ireland.