Lice infestation of swine from Southwestern Mississippi

The prevalence of lice in swine from Southwestern Mississippi was investigated to document the extent to which lice infestation poses a problem for swine farmers. During the period from December 1996 to December. 1997 lice were collected from pigs' bodies by brushing, searching, and picking them with forceps and then placed in vials containing 70% alcohol. The specimens were mounted in CMC-10 medium and identified. A total of 407 pigs from 22 farms in 14 countries were investigated, and of the 407 pigs, 129 (31.7%) were infested with the hog louse (Haematopinus suis (L.) (Anoplura)). One hundred and twenty (32.6%) of 368 sows and 9 (23.1%) of 39 boars were infested. Heavy infestations were observed where pigs were kept in poor husbandry conditions and left unsprayed with insecticide for a long time. This is the first significant report on lice infestation in swine covering the southwestern region of Mississippi. Hog lice appear to be of common occurrence on swine in Mississippi and need to be kept under surveillance, and controlled by swine famers.