1/27/2026:
Swine dysentery is increasingly recognised as a re emerging threat to the pig industry. In an upcoming webinar, Dr Judith Rohde will explain the latest developments in the disease, its pathogen and current challenges in treatment, surveillance and prevention.
- Speaker: Dr Judith Rohde, Senior Scientist at the Institute for Microbiology at the University of Veterinary Medicine
- Date: 26 March 2026
- Time: 16:00–17:00 CEST
The National Pig Association in the UK considers swine dysentery a significant, reemerging concern for the pig industry. The disease is caused by strongly hemolytic Brachyspira species, namely B. hyodysenteriae (in Europe and North America) and B. hampsonii (in North America), and rarely by B. suanatina (only in Europe thus far). Because this mucohemorrhagic diarrhea can have a serious economic impact on the fattening industry, many breeding companies have implemented monitoring programmes and marketed the fact that they are selling pigs that do not carry the disease.
Recognizing weakly hemolytic strains of B. hyodysenteriae has complicated matters because their pathogenic potential remains unclear. Consequently, asymptomatic pigs that test positive for this bacterium's specific phenotype are difficult to trade. However, the emergence of these strains has sparked an ongoing debate about using them as naturally attenuated oral vaccines against this economically devastating disease.
The lack of vaccines against a broad range of B. hyodysenteriae strains belonging to different serotypes is a longstanding, unsolved problem. The limited number of antibiotics licensed for the treatment of swine dysentery, coupled with antimicrobial resistance in B. hyodysenteriae, makes this problem even more pressing. In 2025, a new commercial swine dysentery vaccine was licensed, and its effectiveness remains to be seen.
The webinar will provide an overview of the disease and its pathogen. Treatment and prevention strategies will be discussed. There will be a special focus on the current state of knowledge regarding weakly hemolytic B. hyodysenteriae and the design of surveillance programmes.
Register for the webinar