Serologic follow-up of a repopulated swine herd after an outbreak of proliferative hemorrhagic enteropathy.

Lawsonia intracellularis is an obligate intracellular organism that causes porcine proliferative enteropathy, a widespread infectious disease. Very little is known about the immune response and the epidemiologic features of the disease in the field. The aims of this study were to evaluate the duration and titers of antibody specific for L. intracellularis in gilts after an outbreak of proliferative hemorrhagic enteropathy (PHE), to evaluate maternal antibodies in piglets, and to evaluate seroconversion and fecal shedding in growing-finishing pigs. Thirty-six gilts in a herd that had recently experienced an outbreak of PHE, including 13 that had recovered, were bled 3 wk after the beginning of the outbreak and then every 3 wk until they became seronegative in 2 consecutive tests. Fourteen piglets from 5 gilts seropositive at farrowing and 5 piglets from 2 sows that remained seronegative were bled once or twice at the farrowing house and then every 3 wk until they reached market age. Fecal samples from these pigs were tested by polymerase chain reaction at 7 wk of age and then on the days of blood collection. After the PHE outbreak, the gilts had high serum antibody levels; the levels decreased over time, but antibody was still detectable for up to 3 mo in some animals. Four piglets from sows that were seropositive at farrowing had detectable passive antibodies up to 5 wk of age. Some nursery pigs started shedding L. intracellularis around 7 wk of age; peak shedding was observed between 13 and 16 wk. Antibody was not detected until 16 wk of age and was more often detected between 19 and 22 wk.