Pathological and bacteriological findings in sows, finisher pigs, and piglets, being culled for lameness

In the majority of the cases, the findings at necropsy confirmed the clinical diagnosis. However, the rationale for antibiotic treatment must be questioned since 21 of 57 sows and finisher pigs (37%) treated with antibiotics were shown to suffer from lameness inflicted by non-infectious causes post mortem. Further, in all sows and finisher pigs, and in 83% (n = 104) of the suckling pigs with lesions being assessed to have an infectious aetiology at necropsy, the lesions were interpreted as being chronic. In piglets, S. dysgalactiae ssp. equisimilis or S. hyicus were isolated in 64% of the samples. A majority of these isolates were susceptible to penicillin, still rendering this a valid drug for treatment in acute cases of arthritis.