Hepatosis diaetetica in pigs

Extract

Hepatosis diaetetica of pigs (nutritional liver necrosis, toxic liver dystrophy, etc.) is a disease entity characterized by necrosis of parenchymal cells without any particular distribution within the liver. It has long been known that it could be produced by adding cod liver oil to the diet and prevented by adding vitamin E. Nutritional liver necrosis in the pig is now known to be one of the many manifestations of deficiency of vitamin E (α-tocopherol) and/or selenium which occur in numerous animal species. Some of these conditions are: white muscle disease (nutritional muscular dystrophy or degeneration) which is known in all the domestic and many non-domestic species; dietetic microangiopathy (mulberry heart) of pigs; exudative diathesis and encephalomalacia of chickens ; yellow fat disease of pigs, rats and mink ; oesophago-gastric ulcers in pigs.