Cysticercosis of pigs: description and symptoms of finnosis, treatment methods

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 as a result of infection with parasites that enter the body during food. Until recently, this pathology was classified as an incurable disease due to the lack of an active drug.

What kind of disease and what is dangerous

Cysticercosis is a parasitic disease that occurs mainly when an animal organism is infected with a bovine or pork tapeworm. Infection occurs when eating foods that contain helminth larvae.

Pigs are infected with two types of cestodosis (another name for helminthiases): cellulose and tenuicol. The first type of the disease develops against the background of the penetration of the eggs of the tapeworm into the body. After infection, vesicles with liquid up to 15 millimeters in diameter appear on the internal organs of the pig.

More often this type of helminth strikes:

• 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 ends in the human body. That is, the helminths inside people reach sexual maturity and begin to lay eggs.

Another danger of tapeworms is the increased viability of the eggs.The latter pose a threat to the body of animals even after complete drying. Moreover, the impact of aggressive substances such as chlorine solution does not lead to the death of larvae. In this case, the life span of parasites is reduced, but the latter remain dangerous for animals.

Infection with tapeworm occurs more often in spring and summer. This is explained by the fact that helminth eggs remain viable for a long time at a temperature of more than 18 degrees and in conditions of high humidity. Tenuicol cysticercosis (better known as finnosis) develops against the background of infection with a bovine tapeworm. In this case, the helminths penetrate into the internal organs (often the liver), provoking the formation of a thin-walled bubble with a liquid with a diameter of 5 millimeters to 5 centimeters.

Infection with tenuicol cysticercosis is possible at any time of the year. The risk group for infection includes young pigs.

In order to prevent infection, both animals and humans, with cysticercosis, it is necessary to know how this disease develops. This happens in several stages:

1. The laying and maturation of helminth eggs occur in the human body.
2. Eggs, along with human waste products, enter the environment.
3. Pigs, consuming water or food on pastures, become infected with tapeworm eggs.
4. Penetrating into the stomach of pigs, under the influence of juice, the eggs lose their dense shell, which protects against the negative effects of the environment.
5. The released larvae enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body.

After that, the larvae form the indicated vesicles in the organs. If a person consumes raw or poorly fried 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.

Common symptoms and signs

The intensity of the manifestation of the symptoms of the disease directly depends on the number of helminths that have entered the body, and the state of immunity of the animals. Cysticercosis is characterized by the following features:

• dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract (diarrhea and other symptoms);
• inflammation of muscle tissue, indicating a large accumulation of larvae in a limited area;
• skin itching and swelling;
• blue of the mucous membranes, indicating damage to the heart;
• damage to small capillaries;
• body temperature over 40 degrees.

In the case of a strong invasion, disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system are possible. This manifests itself in the form of paresis (partial numbness) of the limbs, trembling and general weakness. It is also not excluded the appearance of signs of hepatitis, characteristic of liver helminths.In addition, due to a sharp allergic reaction, respiratory failure is possible. As a result, infection with cysticercosis can lead to the death of the animal due to organ failure.

These symptoms are disturbing 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 the case of a minor invasion, the disease is asymptomatic.

Diagnosis of disease

It is impossible to detect cysticercosis in pigs. The disease is diagnosed only in slaughtered animals. If more than three live parasites are found, the meat is recommended to be destroyed. With a smaller number of helminths, the carcass and internal organs undergo mandatory processing. 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 Finnoz today is unprofitable. However, despite this, Praziquantel can be used against the disease. The dosage of the drug is calculated taking into account the total weight of the infected animal. For the treatment of cysticercosis, 50 milligrams of the drug is used for each kilogram of pig weight.

In this case, the effectiveness of the therapy can only be known after the slaughter of the animal. Therefore, an important condition for preventing the spread of the disease to livestock is the implementation of preventive measures.

Preventive action

Prevention of finnosis in pigs is to comply with the following rules:

• timely treatment of helminthiases 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 features of infection and development of cysticercosis.

If pigs are raised in small farms, then the owners of the latter should exclude the feeding of animals near settlements. It is prohibited to slaughter livestock on the farm. This procedure, in order to prevent the spread of helminthiases, must be carried out at specialized points, which provide equipment designed to detect parasite larvae.

Another important condition for preventing the development of the disease is that persons who have passed the appropriate examination are allowed to work with pigs. That is, a person infected with helminths should not come into contact with animals.

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