What to Do in Case of Streptococcus suis in Your Piglets?
Streptococcus suis is a Gram-positive bacterium. It frequently colonizes the upper respiratory tract (tonsils and nasal cavities), as well as the genital and digestive tracts. This bacterium poses a significant threat to weaned piglets, leading to decreased performance, meningitis and arthritis, septicemia, and increased mortality.
What Are the Preventive Measures ?
Implementing strong biosecurity and hygiene protocols for both sows and piglets is key:
- Pay close attention to gilts
- Avoid overcrowding
- Maintain adequate ventilation
- Monitor and control other porcine diseases
- Minimize mixing and movement, especially around weaning
- Ensure proper cleaning and drying of housing areas
- Use disinfectants between batches of piglets
What to Do If Streptococcus suis Affects Your Piglets ?
Among potentially effective additives, Feedéal offers CoRouge®, a di-copper oxide and the only monovalent copper oxide (Cu⁺) authorized in the EU for use in animal nutrition (registration number 3b412). Supplementing piglets’ diets with copper can help limit the development of this bacterium.
An in vitro study conducted at the University of Berlin (Germany) demonstrated that only monovalent copper (Cu⁺) from di-copper oxide effectively inhibits the growth of Streptococcus suis. In contrast, other copper sources—copper sulfate, copper chelates, and copper hydroxychloride—showed only limited antibacterial efficacy, as illustrated in the table below :
The MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) is the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial agent (expressed in µg/mL) required to completely inhibit visible growth of a tested microbial strain.
This study showed that only 64 µg/mL of CoRouge® is needed to halt the growth of S. suis, while 256 µg/mL is required for all other copper sources.
CoRouge® offers the lowest MIC, this means it is more effective at improving gut and digestive health in piglets, supporting both performance and welfare.