Is Vitamin E deficiency a cause of perinatal mortality in pigs

Abstract A sudden outbreak of perinatal mortality in piglets occurred between May and August 1991 in a 60-sow piggery near Palmerston North. None of the piglets born to the 30 sows which farrowed during this period of time survived more than a few days and all live-born piglets appeared weak. Three newborn live piglets were humanely killed and at necropsy had marked diffuse subcutaneous oedema, the only gross and histological anomalies detected in the extensive range of tissues examined. Serological tests of sows were negative for leptospiral, porcine herpes viral (Aujeszky's), porcine parvoviral, encephalomyocarditis viral and Brucelh suis infections. No viral agents were recovered on cell culture from pooled piglet tissues. Liver selenium levels were normal, but Vitamin E values (0.8, 0.8 and 0.6 μmol/kg respectively) seemed low according to the recently established range of 0.9-1.4 μmol/kg for normal unsuckled piglets in New Zealand(1). No Vitamin E/selenium deficiency syndromes had been recognised pre...