hog cholera

noun

: a highly infectious often fatal disease of swine caused by a flavivirus (species Classical swine fever virus of the genus Pestivirus) and characterized by fever, loss of appetite, weakness, erythematous lesions especially in light-skinned animals, and severe leukopenia

Examples of hog cholera in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His parents were farmers from southern Ohio whose fortunes were demolished by an outbreak of hog cholera. —David James, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Aug. 2023

The symptoms are indistinguishable from those of hog cholera, item No. 10 on the al Qaeda bioweapon wish list: vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and a distinctive blue—purple discoloration of the snout, tail, and ears, typically followed swiftly by death. —Nicola Twille, Wired, 6 July 2021

Stem rust, rice blast, foot-and-mouth disease, avian flu, hog cholera. —Nicola Twille, Wired, 6 July 2021

Integral to the ecosystem, the species can eat the diseased remains of animals that might otherwise carry sicknesses, such as hog cholera or anthrax bacteria. —Jordyn Hermani, Indianapolis Star, 13 July 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hog cholera

noun

: a highly infectious often fatal virus disease of swine

Medical Definition

hog cholera

noun

ˈhäg-, ˈhȯg- 

: a highly infectious often fatal disease of swine caused by a flavivirus of the genus Pestivirus (species Classical swine fever virus) and characterized by fever, loss of appetite, weakness, erythematous lesions especially in light-skinned animals, and severe leukopenia

called also swine fever

see african swine fever