A case of mange infestation in a flock of pigs in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

On the 6^th of July 2015, a swine farmer at Ikwo, Ebonyi State, reported a case of ‘’loss of hair coats, continuous scratching of their skins on fences, iron bars and pen floors, with resultant wounds on their surfaces. Skin scrapings from some of the pigs with gross skin lesions was taken for diagnosis. Digestion of suspected scraping materials with 10 % potassium hydroxide, then centrifugation followed by an examination of sediment under a microscope. Injuries seen are found in the ears, head, neck region, shoulders, leg and back region of those pigs. The lesions seen are reddening of the infested area, crusts, hyperkeratosis, and fall of hairs from the area with wrinkled, thickened, rough, raised and thick asbestos-like skin and pruritus. Microscopically the parasites seen appear approximately 500 μm long, with fingerprint-like striations on the cuticle, short and stubby legs, numerous setae and pegs, and with a dorsal patch of tooth-like spines. Treatment with Ivermectin 300mg/kg subcutaneously, stat and repeated at days 14 and Cypermethrin (pour-on) 10mL of 0.1% solution yielded tremendous improvement.

Keywords: mange, pigs, Sarcoptic mange, Sarcoptes scabiei, Ivermectin