In total, lungs of 968 slaughter pigs from 10 herds with high prevalence of pleuritis were morphologically examined for size, location, and type of lesions. Moreover, histology and bacteriology were performed.
Examination of gross lung lesions showed 45 % pleuritis, 14 % pleuropneumonia and 38 % catarrhal pneumonia. Peribronchiolar cuffing was found in 61 of 142 samples. Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae was cultured from 22 lung samples from four herds. Pasteurella multocida was cultured from 55 lung samples in eight herds. No specific pattern with respect to the causal pathogens was found.
In conclusion, no single infectious cause of pleuritis was found. A variety of infectious agents combined with environmental factors should be considered as a cause of pleuritis.