[Diagnosis and control of progressive atrophic rhinitis]

The diagnosis of PAR is based mainly upon clinical herd inspections and demonstration of the causal agent, toxigenic P. multocida. Antitoxic antibodies are detectable in the serum of only a part of the infected pigs. Eradication of the disease is achieved by slaughtering the whole herd and repopulating with breeding stock free from toxigenic P. multocida. Treatment, vaccination and improvement of housing and feeding conditions reduce the symptoms and economical losses. The evaluation of PAR vaccines is possible by: 1.vaccinating pregnant sows and observation of their experimentally infected piglets; 2.testing the amount of antitoxin in vaccinated animals by means of serum neutralization in cell culture or blocking ELISA; 3.quantification of toxoid in a vaccine by a sandwich ELISA using monoclonal antibodies against formaldehyde resistant epitopes of the P. multocida toxin.