An unusual presentation of suspected oedema disease of swine in Kenya

From a group of 11 recently weaned pigs, 4 were reported to be sick. Clinic al examination of the sick pigs revealed marked dyspnoea, bluish-red discol ouration of the skin, incoordination and difficulty in walking. Bacteriolog ical examination of the gut contents of 2 pigs that had died earlier yielde d pure cultures of haemolytic Escherichia coli. Post mortem examination of the remaining 2 pigs that died subsequently revealed progressive pulmonary collapse. One of these also showed subcutaneous oedema of the head and mark ed oedema of the mesentery of the spiral colon and oedema of the brain. Mic roscopically there was pulmonary alveolar collapse and degenerative changes in the liver. On the basis of the clinical signs, isolation of haemolytic E. coli and the post mortem findings, a diagnosis of oedema disease was mad e.