Porcine and Poultry Medicine

Description of the field

The field includes propaedeutics, medicine and surgery in porcines. Knowledge about medical diseases and conditions such as metabolic disorders, infectious diseases, hereditary diseases, zoonotic diseases and poisonings are included. Preventive health care for animals is an integral part.

The subject has a responsibility for teaching propedeutics and medicine in poultry, where expertise is currently purchased from the National Veterinary Institute (SVA). 

Current research

• Infectious diseases focusing on gastrointestinal tract infections.

Other research conducted in recent years concerns:

• pain physiology and analgesia,
• infectious, reproductive diseases,
• respiratory diseases,
• antibiotics and the use of antibiotics,
• bacteriology and virology,
• aetiology and pathogens in chronic wounds,
• occurrence and spread of zoonotic bacteria in rodents and wild boars.

Research is also conducted in cooperation with other European countries. In addi­tion, research is conducted in the form of development assistance projects within the fields infectious diseases and food science. Collaboration with other experts within and outside SLU is a prerequisite for all this research.

The research is based on Sustainable and Secure Food Supply, and responds to the Faculty’s objective of actively contributing to the National Food Strategy.Good animal health is essential in order to strengthen the competitiveness of dome­stic livestock production and to ensure a sustainable food supply; and know­ledge of animal diseases, as well as foodborne bacteria, is essential to ensure safe food. We have strong expertise within disease diagnostics and preventive animal health care, which is part of Precision Livestock Farming.

The research focuses on applied research as well as research for the benefit of the animal itself, which contributes to good animal health, animal welfare and minimal usage of antibiotics.

The research contributes to One Health via actively working to prevent infections and the spread of infection, improve diagnostics and to identify mechanisms that impact the onset of disease.