Bayer Animal Health has launched the first innovative ready-to-use product in southern Africa to control coccidiosis in newly born piglets. Eric de Bruyn, Bayer’s key account manager for pigs and poultry, explains that one of Baycox 5% suspension’s advantages is that it is administered orally. Coccidiosis in piglets is caused by the intracellular protozoan parasite Isospora suis. Once Isospora oocysts are ingested by the piglet, they enter the intestinal wall and begin to destroy the inner surface of the small intestine. This infection often causes diarrhoea, most commonly in the piglet’s second and third week of life.
Baycox 5% oral suspension contains the active ingredient toltrazuril. Toltrazuril kills the parasite without impairing the piglet’s ability to acquire lifelong natural immunity against coccidiosis, and significantly reduces the excretion of oocysts.
But its benefits go much further than just coccidiosis control, ensuring pigs reach market weight as quickly as possible. Research shows that infected piglets, treated with Baycox 5%, have a significantly higher growth rate than non-treated piglets, since it prevents intestinal damage caused by Isospora suis.
“A single oral Baycox 5% treatment at 0,4ml/kg live weight administered orally at the age of three to five days, is sufficient to prevent clinical signs of the disease,” says De Bruyn. “As a further convenience, it can be used in conjunction with commercially available iron supplements. This treatment prevents the development of clinical signs, as well as production losses, whilst allowing immunity to develop.”
During trials in Germany, treated piglets gained 9kg in 28 days while untreated animals gained only 7kg in the same period.
The early treatment with toltrazuril reduces economic loss enormously, a one-year survey in Germany having recorded that, during the suckling period, the infection rate of Isospora suis increased from 18,6% to 37,7%. Diarrhoea occurred in 78,2% of positive litters, but also in 52,5% of the Isospora suis-negative litters.
The most important source of infection is the environment in which piglets are reared. Hence regular, thorough disinfection of farrowing houses is essential to reduce the infection pressure on the newborn piglets. The sow plays no part as a source of infection.
The product is available from all agricultural cooperatives and veterinarians. – Hans Lombaard
Contact Auriel Mitchley on (011) 889 0796, e-mail [email protected]. |fw
