Pathological manifestation of gastric ulcer in slaughter pigs

Abstract

Currently, one of the most common types of non-infectious pathology of pigs is gastric ulcer, widespread on large farms. It is assumed that the size of feed particles, housing conditions and infection with pathogens play a role in the development of the disease. However, the exact pathophysiological mechanism of gastric ulcer in pigs is not fully understood. Given the incompleteness of the study of the pathomorphogenesis of gastric ulcer in pigs, the goal of the work is to update knowledge about the pathomorphology of this disease, if possible, using slaughterhouse material.

The material for the study was the stomachs of 332 slaughter fattening pigs of the Landrace and Duroc breeds aged 6-7 months from 2 sites of the pig farm. During postmortem examination of the internal organs of 170 pigs from the 1st site, samples of 40 stomachs with ulcerative changes were taken and from 160 pigs from the 2nd site 36 stomachs also with ulcerative changes. For the histological examination, 10 samples of pathological material from the stomachs of pigs with ulcerative changes from both sites were used.

During the postmortem examination, ulcerative changes were found in the stomachs of 40 pigs from Site 1 (23.5% of all examined) and 36 pigs from Site 2 (22.5% of all examined). Ulcerative changes and their consequences in the stomachs were represented in pigs from Site 1 by parakeratosis in 28%, erosions and ulcerations in 54%, scars and strictures in 18%; in pigs from Site 2 – parakeratosis in 25%, erosions and ulcerations in 58%, scars and strictures in 17%. The areas of parakeratosis consisted of numerous spiny cells, designated as acanthosis.