Occurrence of Swine Salmonellosis in Postweaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome (PMWS) Affected Pigs Concurrently Infected with Porcine Reproduction and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV)

Outbreaks of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella Choleraesuis in wild boars piglets from central-western Spain

Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis is the aetiological agent of swine paratyphoid being a highly invasive zoonotic pathogen. Wild boar natural populations are experiencing a demographical expansion as well as some farms are breeding this species to release for hunting with management sometimes identical to that of domestic pigs, including supplementation, grouping, and antibiotic treatments. This situation increases the chance of contact between wild boars and livestock, and potentially induces stress, with different sanitary consequences. The present work aims to describe the clinical features of recent outbreaks caused by S. Choleraesuis in wild boar from central-western Spain, as well as the antimicrobial resistance and phylogenetic relationships of isolates involved. 28 strains of S. Choleraesuis were isolated from 28 different wild boars belonging to 10 different game states located in central western Spain and submitted to the Clinical Veterinary Hospital (CVH) of the University of Extremadura. Samples were taken from different organs and cultured according to the ISO 6579:2002 procedure. Suspicious colonies were identified by PCR and antimicrobial resistance was evaluated by disc diffusion susceptibility test and the presence of the main resistance genes as well as 18 plasmid replicons frequently found among the Enterobacteriaceae was verified by PCR. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis was applied to determine the genetic relationship between isolates. The outbreaks under study were characterized by high mortality (35%-84%) and a septicaemic presentation. S. Choleraesuis was isolated from all the wild boars analysed, and 26 of the 28 isolates presented resistance to at least one antibiotic. The predominant resistances found were against sulphonamide, streptomycin, tetracycline, and doxicicline and sul1, strA-strB, and tetA were the most prevalent resistance genes among isolates. 10 strains carried FIIA, FIB+H/1 or FIIA+H/1 plasmids. PFGE classified the isolates into four different profiles, grouped into two clusters. This results show that prevention against S. Choleraesuis must be considered in the sanitary programs of the wild boar breeders.

[Detection of Salmonella Choleraesuis var. Kunzendorf in a fattening pig with septicaemic salmonellosis. A case report]

The present case reports the detection of Salmonella (S.) Choleraesuis var. Kunzendorf and porcine circovirus type 2 in an organic fattening pig suffering from septicaemic salmonellosis and porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome. Six weeks after pigs had been housed in an organic fattening farm, an increase in mortality, diarrhea and coughing was observed. In recent years, S. choleraesuis var. Kunzendorf has been frequently detected in wild boars in Germany, whereas the same serovar did not play an important role in the Western European domestic pig population. A direct transmission of this serovar from wild boars to domestic pigs in this case could not be proven. However, because wild boars are important reservoirs for the spread of epizootic diseases to the domestic pig population, this case emphasises the importance of taking epidemiological relationships under consideration and to comply with biosecurity measures according to German law (Schweinehaltungshygieneverordnung).

Inhibitory effects of indigowoad root polysaccharides on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus replication in vitro

BACKGROUND

Indigowoad root polysaccharide (IRPS) is a natural polysaccharide isolated from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Radix Isatidis, and has many kinds of biological activities. However, the IRPS antiviral activity, especially the anti-porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) effect, has not been evaluated.

METHODS

PRRSV was propagated in the MARC-145 cell line, and viral titre was determined by cytopathic effect and expressed as the 50% tissue culture infection dose (TCID(50)) in the current study. The cell cytotoxic effect of IRPS toward MARC-145 was evaluated by MTT assay firstly, then the inhibitory effects of IRPS on PRRSV replication in vitro were investigated by determining the effect of IRPS upon a single replicative cycle of PRRSV in MARC-145 cells. The effects of IRPS on viral RNA and protein synthesis in PRRSV-infected cells were investigated using real-time PCR and double-antibody (sandwich) ELISA.

RESULTS

IRPS was able to effectively suppress the infectivity of the PRRSV in a dose-dependent manner, especially by adding IRPS during the PRRSV infection. IRPS could affect the attachment of PRRSV to MARC-145 cells, and also inhibit the viral RNA and protein synthesis.

CONCLUSIONS

IRPS has an antiviral effect on PRRSV replication in MARC-145 cells and might be useful in medical development for antiviral research. However, the precise mechanism of the host and viral targets of IRPS are unknown, so further studies should be conducted to investigate the precise mechanism of IRPS inhibitory effect on PRRSV infection.

Porcine circovirus type 2 potentiates morbidity of Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis in Cesarean-derived, colostrum-deprived pigs

PROBLEM ADDRESSED

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Choleraesuis (S. Choleraesuis) are two leading causes of economic loss in the swine industry. Although S. Choleraesuis infection occurs concurrently with PCV2-associated disease in many swine herds, the pathogenesis of concurrent infection with PCV2 and S. Choleraesuis remains largely undefined.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the interactions between PCV2 and S. Choleraesuis in 20 Cesarean-derived, colostrum-deprived (CDCD) pigs randomly assigned to 4 groups (n=5 per group).

METHODS AND APPROACH

Pigs in the dual-infected and PCV2-infected groups were inoculated intranasally with PCV2 at 5 weeks of age, and pigs in the dual-infected and S. Choleraesuis-infected groups were inoculated intranasally with S. Choleraesuis at 7 weeks of age. Pigs in the control group served as uninfected controls.

RESULTS

After S. Choleraesuis inoculation, severe clinical signs, reduction of weight gain, and severe microscopic lung lesions were observed in dual-infected pigs compared to those in other groups. In addition, the pigs in the dual-infected group shed significantly (P=0.002) higher quantities of S. Choleraesuis in feces 12 days after S. Choleraesuis inoculation, and S. Choleraesuis was recovered from more tissues in this group 14 days after S. Choleraesuis inoculation.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that prior PCV2 infection potentiates the severity of clinical signs, lung lesions, and fecal shedding and tissue dissemination of S. Choleraesuis in infected pigs. Therefore, dual infection of pigs with PCV2 and S. Choleraesuis may increase clinical effects of salmonellosis in the field.

Molecular typing and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Choleraesuis isolates from diseased pigs in Japan

Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis (S. Choleraesuis) isolates derived from diseased pigs in Japan during 2001 and 2005 were analyzed for biotype, based on H(2)S production and dulcitol fermentation, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profile, and antimicrobial resistance profile. S. Choleraesuis biotype Choleraesuis (biotype Choleraesuis) was classified into one genotype, while varietas Kunzendorf (var. Kunzendorf) was classified into two genotypes. The isolates of var. Kunzendorf belonging to one genotype were isolated in a limited area of Japan. Variation in the antimicrobial resistance pattern was observed in isolates of both biotypes Choleraesuis and var. Kunzendorf. We have also shown that the PFGE profile was associated with the biotype and isolation region of each isolate.

Changes in peripheral blood leukocyte subpopulations in piglets co-infected experimentally with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus and porcine circovirus type 2

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) are pathogens, which can significantly affect the swine industry worldwide. Field surveys suggest that simultaneous PRRSV and PCV2 infection is common in pigs. The objective of this study was to measure the changes in peripheral blood leukocyte subpopulations in piglets co-infected experimentally with PRRSV and PCV2, in order to analyze the synergistic influence of co-infection on the immune system. Changes in peripheral blood leukocyte subpopulations were systematically measured by flow cytometry (FCM). The levels of antibodies to PRRSV and PCV2 were detected by indirect Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) and the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFA), respectively. Serum viral loads were measured using real-time PCR. The results showed that piglets co-infected with PRRSV and PCV2 exhibited slower generation and lower levels of antibodies to PRRSV and PCV2, and increased amounts and a prolonged presence of both PRRSV and PCV2 in serum, in comparison to the piglets infected with either virus alone. The major finding in our study was that the total and differential leukocyte counts, including white blood cells (WBCs), monocytes, granulocytes and lymphocytes (T, B and NK cells, as well as T-cell subpopulations), dramatically decreased early during co-infection with PRRSV and PCV2 for about two weeks, in contrast with animals singly infected with either PRRSV or PCV2. These results suggest that PRRSV and PCV2 co-infection results in a synergistic decrease in immune cells in the peripheral blood of piglets. These data contribute to the understanding of the immunosuppressive effects resulting from PRRSV and PCV2 co-infection in pigs.

Descriptive spatial epidemiology of subclinical Salmonella infection in finisher pig herds: application of a novel method of spatially adaptive smoothing

We describe the spatial epidemiological features of the 6.8 million meat-juice serological tests that were conducted between 1995 and 2004 as part of the Danish swine Salmonella control programme. We investigated pig and farm density using edge-corrected kernel estimations. Pigs were aggregated at the county level to assess county-level risk, and then we investigated farm-level risk by giving farms a case or non-case label using a cut-off of 40% of pigs positive. Conditional probability surfaces, correcting for the underlying population at risk, were produced for each year of the study period using a novel kernel estimator with a spatially adaptive smoothing bandwidth. This approach improves on previous methods by allowing focussed estimation of risk in areas of high population density while maintaining stable estimates in regions where the data are sparse. Two spatial trends in the conditional probability of a farm being a case were evident: (1) over the whole country, with the highest risk in the west compared to the east; and (2) on the Jutland peninsula with the highest risk in the north and south. At the farm-level a consistent area of risk was the south-west of Jutland. Case farms tended to aggregate indicating spatial dependency in the data. We found no association between pig or farm density and Salmonella risk. We generated hypotheses for this spatial pattern of risk and we conclude that this spatial pattern should be considered in the development of surveillance strategies and as a basis for further, more detailed analyses of the data.

Epidemiologic assessment of porcine circovirus type 2 coinfection with other pathogens in swine

OBJECTIVE

To identify important pathogens and characterize their serologic and pathologic effects in porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2)-infected pigs in relation to pig age and type of swine production system.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

ANIMALS

583 conventionally reared pigs.

PROCEDURES

3- (n = 157), 9- (149), 16- (152), and 24-week-old (125) pigs from 41 different 1-, 2-, and 3-site production systems (5 pigs/age group/farm) were euthanized and necropsied. Pigs with and without PCV2 infection were identified (via PCR assay); infection with and serologic responses to other pathogens and pathologic changes in various tissues (including lungs) were assessed. Logistic regression models were constructed for effects overall and within each age group and type of production system.

RESULTS

Compared with PCV2-negative pigs, PCV2-positive pigs were more likely to have swine influenza virus (SIV) type A and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infections and sample-to-positive (S:P) ratios for SIV H1N1 from 0.50 to 0.99; also, PCV2-positive pigs had higher serum anti-porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) antibody titers and more severe lung tissue damage. Infection with SIV (but lower SIV H1N1 S:P ratio) was more likely in 3-week-old PCV2-positive pigs and evidence of systemic disease was greater in 16-week-old PCV2-positive pigs than in their PCV2-negative counterparts. By site type, associations of coinfections and disease effects between PCV2-positive and -negative pigs were greatest in 3-site production systems.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

In PCV2-positive pigs, coinfections with SIV, M. hyopneumoniae, and PRRSV are important, having the greatest effect in the early to late nursery phase and in 3-site production systems.