Recent advances in diagnosing and controlling porcine colonic spirochetosis

Porcine colonic spirochetosis (PCS), a nonfatal diarrheal disease of grower -finisher pigs, is caused by the intestinal spirochete Serpulina(a) pilosic oli.(1) Recent advances in genetic-based diagnostic methods have expanded t he available information on intestinal spirochetes and their role in porcin e colonic diseases. Pigs affected with PCS have depressed average daily gai ns and feed efficiencies in the grower-finisher stages. Diagnosis is based on clinical signs, histopathology, and isolation of the causative agent. Th e same treatment regimens used for diseases caused by the related spirochet e Serpulina hyodysenteriae are the most effective but are not consistently successful. Implementing all-in/all-out pig flow. strict hygiene. and ratio n changes can control PCS.