A. suum infection negatively impacts pig production! Infections with A. suum, and especially the larval migration phase, significantly reduce the economic profitability of a pig farm. Ascaris infections have a significant impact on the productivity of pigs through a number of direct and indirect ways (Figure 1). Directly: - Livers, visibly affected by parasite migration are condemned at the slaughterhouse. - General production parameters like daily weight gain, feed conversion efficiency and meat quality have been shown to decrease. - A higher mortality percentage. Indirectly: - The passage of larvae in the lungs is associated with impaired pulmonary bacterial clearance making it easier for secondary bacterial and viral infections to settle. - Ascaris infection can negatively affect vaccination efficacy. (e.g.: against Mycoplasma hyo.). Figure 1: Different ways by which A. suum infections impact farm productivity. Infections with A. suum lead to significant economic losses! Table 1: Overview of studies reporting suggested economic lossed due to A. suum infection!
