Diagnoses of PMWS, as a percentage of diagnostic submissions, remained high at 16.7%. Though down on the same quarter in the previous three years this was only significant statistically when compared with 2002 (29.6%).

Nevertheless there are reports of a decline in the clinical importance of PMWS in many herds in England, though porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) was still mentioned in a quarter of all Regional Laboratory incident reports on pigs.

PCV-2 infection is therefore recognised in a significant proportion of diagnostic submissions. Associated diseases are not limited to commercial breeds as PMWS was again diagnosed in Gloucester Old Spot piglets. On some units high mortality due to PMWS is still occurring with one farm reporting a postweaning mortality of 15 percent.

There were six incident reports of PDNS of which two were sporadic cases at the time of investigation and four were outbreaks. In one outbreak 50 ten-weekold pigs were affected, in a second outbreak 130 of 650 were affected, and in a third outbreak 150 ten-week-old pigs were affected with 50 dead.

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Source: Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) - August 2004