Use of a sound-based technology for respiratory health monitoring in a swine fattening unit

Respiratory health can be difficult to assess in swine herds and this can delay implementation of appropriate measures. SoundTalks® (ST) is a sound-based monitoring technology that collects the sounds of pigs 24 hours. Its algorithm transforms sound into a ReHS (Respiratory Health Status) score (0-100). Depending on the ReHS score, the system alerts the farmer by means of a traffic light. The objectives of this experiment were to describe the ReHS dynamics in a fattening unit and to determine whether the ReHS score could predict coughing episodes caused by specific pathogens and how it could impact performances and lung lesions scores at slaughterhouse.