A 3-year prospective study of the incidence of gastric ulcers in pigs slaughtered at Base Abattoir in Rwanda

Sudden death associated with bleeding into digestive system of finishing pigs – a review

Sudden deaths of finishing pigs in modern pig herds cause economic losses and therefore draw constant attention worldwide. In the case of peracute mortality associated with gastrointestinal bleeding, pigs usually die during a short period without clinical manifestations. Necropsy can detect bleeding into various parts of the digestive system. Determining the exact aetiology of the sudden death can be difficult in many cases. Diseases and conditions such as gastric ulcers, abdominal torsion, haemorrhagic bowel syndrome and infectious diseases should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis. Because some of these diseases still have an unclear aetiology and pathogenesis, the aim of our work was to provide a summary of existing knowledge as well as to describe related pathognomonic pathological changes.

An epidemiological survey of the magnitude and local perceptions of porcine cysticercosis by two methods in Nyaruguru district, Rwanda

This study investigated the magnitude of porcine cysticercosis (PC), its risk factors, economic effects and the perceptions of 80 pig farmers from Nyabimata (n = 38) and Muganza (n = 42) and 20 registered butchers in the Nyaruguru district of Rwanda. January to December 2013 slaughter records from Kamirabagenzi market were also analysed for PC diagnoses based on the tongue test and meat inspection. During this period, the responding farmers' records showed a tongue test-based PC magnitude (3.9%, n = 984) which was lower than the collective tongue test-based PC magnitude of 9.2% (n = 1720) at Kamirabagenzi (p < .05). The overall magnitude of PC based on routine meat inspection diagnosis at Kamirabagenzi was 4%. The overall magnitude of PC for respondents using Free-range production systems (7.9%) was significantly greater than for those in Semi-intensive (2.1%) and Intensive production systems (1.5%) (p < .05). Though most farmers (90%) knew that PC is zoonotic, only 22.5% of the farmers opted for treatment of PC-infected pigs and 52.5% were willing to seek veterinary inspection while the rest (25%) opted to circumvent veterinary inspection (P > .05). Most butchers (70%) indicated they would circumvent veterinary inspection and continue to slaughter PC-positive animals whilst the rest (30%) indicated they would resell PC positive animals to defray costs (P < .05). The low sensitivity and specificity of methods used for PC detection in the study, implies that this may just be the tip of an iceberg and the actual magnitude is most likely to be much higher. In conclusion, PC is endemic in the Nyaruguru district of Rwanda with a high proportion of positive animals. The condition has public health implications and is worsening the economic plight of the impoverished Nyaruguru community.