Age-dependent Occurrence of the Intestinal Ciliate Balantidium coli in Pigs at a Danish Research Farm

A cross sectional study of the prevalence and intensity of Balantidium coli in pigs was carried out on a Danish research farm. The prevalence of B. coli infection increased from 57% in suckling piglets to 100% in most pig groups ≥4 weeks old. The mean number of cysts per gram faeces (CPG) of pigs aged 12 weeks and younger were ≤206, whereas pigs aged 28 weeks and >52 weeks had significantly higher counts of ≥865 CPG. Although some lactating sows had very high CPG’s, no significant differences in CPG could be detected between the intensities of pregnant sows, lactating sows and empty and dry sows. No human cases of B. coli infection have been published in Denmark though it is zoonotic.