Epidemic characteristics of pseudorabies

This disease is an acute infectious disease that can be infected by a variety of domestic animals and wild animals. Among domestic animals, pigs are more common, but dogs can also be infected. When the disease breaks out in pigs on a pig farm, dogs often get sick before the pigs or at the same time as the pigs. The causative agent is pseudorabies virus. Because this disease has similar symptoms to rabies, it was previously thought to be the same disease. Later, Hungarian scholar Awjewski proved that this disease was not the same disease as rabies, but an independent disease, so it was also called Alzheimer's disease.

Pseudorabies virus mainly exists in sick pigs and is excreted with nasal juice, saliva, urine, breast milk and vaginal secretions. Therefore, sick pigs are the source of infection for various animals. Dogs often become infected after eating sick pork or dead rat meat. Although sick dogs have a high mortality rate, they are actually unable to excrete the virus. The disease is mainly infected through the digestive tract, but it can also be infected through respiratory tract and skin wounds.

Pseudorabies virus is highly resistant to the external environment. Viruses in the meat of diseased animals can survive for more than 5 weeks, and viruses in rotten meat can only die after 11 days. However, this virus does not have strong resistance to chemical drugs, such as 0.5% milk of lime, 0.5% hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, formalin, etc., which can be quickly killed.

Key points of diagnosis of pseudorabies

(1) Epidemic characteristics Pigs and rats are the most important sources of infection of this disease. The infection of other animals with this disease is mainly related to contact with these two types of animals. Natural infection in dogs is related to the consumption of rodents infected with the virus in contact with infected pigs. Eating cattle and mutton infected with the disease is also a secondary route of infection. In addition, it can also be infected through droplets and wounds. The disease is often sporadic, and some occur regionally.

(2) Clinical characteristics: The disease is depressed at the beginning, curled up and unwilling to move, showing indifference to the surrounding things, often changing body positions, staring at and licking the skin at first, and soon the itching increases, and even the itching is unbearable and violent and restless, often Bite the affected area and cause serious damage. The sick dog barked for no reason, did not respond to breathing, and liked to hide in dark places. Soon it fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth, had difficulty breathing, showed intermittent convulsions, and died soon. Although sick dogs have violent symptoms, they do not attack people or livestock. Some sick dogs have no obvious skin itching or even no itching. They only have the above neurological symptoms and die soon.

Based on the above clinical characteristics (itching, neurological symptoms, local abrasions, bites, etc.) and popular characteristics, a preliminary diagnosis can be made. For cases with atypical symptoms, clinical diagnosis alone is difficult to diagnose. Data on brain, liver, spleen, lung and other diseases must be sent to the inspection department for inspection.

Prevention and control measures for pseudorabies

First, dogs are strictly prohibited from entering pig farms.

Second, pay attention to rodent prevention and eradication work inside and outside the kennel, and strictly prevent dogs from eating dead mice.

Third, sick dogs should be isolated in time. If conditions permit, sick dogs can be injected with anti-pseudorabies hyperimmune serum, which has a certain effect. The feces and urine of sick dogs should be cleaned in time,disinfect. The kennel can be disinfected with 2% sodium hydroxide solution, and the body should be buried deeply.

Fourth, vaccination should be carried out based on the dog’s contact with pigs and the consumption of pork. In the epidemic area, "Pseudorabies Attenuated Herb Vaccine" can be tried for intramuscular injection of 0.2 ml for dogs over 4 months old; for dogs over 1 year old, 0.5 ml, and then vaccinated again after 3 weeks, with a dose of 1 ml.