The living and feeding conditions of pigs create conditions for the development of cysticercosis (or finnosis). This disease is dangerous not only for animals, but also for people who eat meat. In pigs, cysticercosis develops due to infection by parasites that enter the body during feeding. Until recently, this pathology was considered an incurable disease due to the lack of an effective drug.
What kind of disease is it and how is it dangerous?
Cysticercosis is a parasitic disease that occurs mainly when an animal’s body is infected with a bovine or pork tapeworm.Infection occurs when eating foods that contain helminth larvae.
Pigs are infected with two types of cestodias (another name for helminthiases): cellulose and tenuicol. The first type of disease develops against the background of penetration of pork tapeworm eggs into the body. After infection, bubbles with liquid up to 15 millimeters in diameter appear on the internal organs of the pig.
Most often, this type of helminth affects:
- muscle tissue;
- internal organs (especially the heart);
- brain and spinal cord;
- limbs.
The main danger of tapeworms, which include bovine and pork tapeworms, is that the development cycle of these parasites is completed in the human body. That is, helminths inside people reach maturity and begin to lay eggs.
Another danger of tapeworms is the increased viability of eggs. The latter pose a threat to the animal’s body even after complete drying. Moreover, exposure to aggressive substances such as chlorine solution does not lead to the death of the larvae. In this case, the life expectancy of the parasites is reduced, but the latter remain dangerous to animals.
Infection with pork tapeworm most often occurs in the spring and summer. This is explained by the fact that helminth eggs remain viable for a long time at temperatures above 18 degrees and in conditions of high humidity. Cysticercosis tenuicola (better known as finnosis) develops against the background of infection with a bovine tapeworm. In this case, the helminths penetrate the internal organs (usually the liver), provoking the formation of a thin-walled bubble with liquid with a diameter of 5 millimeters to 5 centimeters.
Infection with cysticercosis tenuicola is possible at any time of the year. The risk group for infection includes young pigs.
In order to prevent infection of both animals and humans with cysticercosis, it is necessary to know how this disease develops. This happens in several stages:
- The laying and maturation of helminth eggs occurs in the human body.
- Eggs, along with human waste products, end up in the environment.
- Pigs consuming water or food on pastures become infected with tapeworm eggs.
- Penetrating into the stomach of pigs, under the influence of juice, the eggs lose their dense shell, which protects them from the negative influence of the environment.
- The released larvae enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body.
After this, the larvae form the indicated vesicles in the organs. If a person consumes raw or undercooked meat containing helminths, the latter, having penetrated into a new organism, reach the sexually mature stage. This process takes up to 90 days.
In addition to food, guard dogs are considered a source of cysticercosis infection for pigs.
General symptoms and signs
The intensity of the symptoms of the disease directly depends on the number of helminths that have entered the body and the state of the animal’s immunity. Cysticercosis is characterized by the following symptoms:
- dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract (diarrhea and other symptoms);
- inflammation of muscle tissue, which indicates a large accumulation of larvae in a limited area;
- itching of the skin and swelling;
- blue discoloration of the mucous membranes, which indicates damage to the heart;
- damage to small capillaries;
- body temperature over 40 degrees.
In case of severe invasion, disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system are possible. This manifests itself in the form of paresis (partial numbness) of the limbs, tremors and general weakness. It is also possible that signs of hepatitis, characteristic of helminth damage to the liver, may appear.In addition, due to a severe allergic reaction, breathing problems may occur. As a result, infection with cysticercosis can lead to the death of the animal due to failure of internal organs.
These symptoms occur during the first two weeks after infection. During this period, helminth larvae migrate throughout the body, causing disturbances in the functioning of internal organs. In case of minor invasion, the disease is asymptomatic.
Diagnosis of the disease
It is impossible to detect cysticercosis in pigs. The disease is diagnosed only in killed animals. If more than three living parasites are found, it is recommended to destroy the meat. With a lower number of helminths, the carcass and internal organs undergo mandatory treatment. If cases of animal infection are detected after slaughter, the veterinarian reports the presence of infection in a particular farm to the relevant authorities.
How to treat cysticercosis (finnosis) of pigs
Treatment of Finnosis today is unprofitable. However, despite this, the drug Praziquantel can be used against the disease. The dosage of the medicine is calculated taking into account the total weight of the infected animal. For the treatment of cysticercosis, 50 milligrams of the drug are used for each kilogram of pig weight.
In this case, the effectiveness of the therapy can only be determined after the animal is slaughtered. Therefore, an important condition for preventing the spread of the disease to livestock is the implementation of preventive measures.
Preventive actions
Prevention of finnosis in pigs consists of observing the following rules:
- timely treatment of helminthiasis in dogs that guard pigs;
- avoid contact of livestock with wild animals;
- latrines on the farm must be equipped in accordance with current sanitary standards;
- mandatory training for owners and employees of pig farms about the characteristics of infection and development of cysticercosis.
If pigs are raised on small farms, then the owners of the latter should exclude feeding animals near populated areas. Slaughtering livestock on the farm is prohibited. This procedure, in order to prevent the spread of helminthiases, must be carried out in specialized points that provide equipment designed to identify parasite larvae.
Another important condition for preventing the development of the disease is that persons who have undergone appropriate examination are allowed to work with pigs. That is, a person infected with helminths should not have contact with animals.
