Ascites is the accumulation of liquid in the abdominal cavity. Ascitic liquid can have many origins. It is a consequence of high pressure of the liver's blood vessels, portal hypertension and low albumin levels. Pathologies that damage the liver can lead to ascites in animals.

Ascariosis is a parasitosis of a great importance in pig farming, both because of its frequent presentation or its consequences, whether economic or clinical, in infested pigs. Ascariosis in an infestation caused by Ascaris suum, mainly in piglets. Larval stages migrate through the intestinal wall and infest other organs such as the liver, the lung (as in the picture) and adults affect the small intestine. Their massive emergence can obstruct the intestine and the bile ducts and cause perforations and ascites.