FieldDxTransmissible Gastroenteritis (TGE)Clinical signs, differential diagnosis, treatment and prevention in pigs.
Overview
A highly contagious viral diarrheal disease affecting pigs of all ages. Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), a coronavirus that destroys villus enterocytes of the small intestine.
Clinical signs
- profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting in pigs of all ages; extremely high mortality rates (frequently 100%) in neonatal and nursing piglets under 2 to 3 weeks of age; agalactia and anorexia in sows
Predisposing factors
- Introduction of replacement animals; large herd sizes (e.g., farrowing or breeding herds with >100 sows); continuous farrowing and early weaning
Look-alikes to rule out
Treatment
- There is no specific antiviral treatment available.
- Support of sick animals includes increasing farrowing room temperatures to minimize loss of body heat, providing oral electrolyte solutions to combat dehydration, and weaning older nursing pigs that are consuming creep feed.
- Oral administration of swine immunoglobulins has been reported to be beneficial
Prevention
1. Maintain strict biosecurity and closed herd policies. 2. Expose pregnant sows and gilts 2 to 5 weeks pre-farrowing to virulent virus-containing feces or intestines from scouring/euthanized piglets (collected within 24 hours of diarrhea onset) to synchronize herd immunity. 3. Vaccinate naturally immune sows to boost maternal antibody concentrations in colostrum and milk
Source
The Merck Veterinary Manual 11th Edition (Page 818); A Textbook of the Diseases of Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Pigs and Goat by ELSEVIER (Pages 350–353, 391)
MSD Veterinary Manual — Coronaviral Enteritis in Pigs (accessed 2026-08-11)
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