The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of Helicobacter (H.) spp. in swine affected by gastric ulceration. Stomachs from 400 regularly slaughtered swine were subjected to gross pathological examination to evaluate the presence of gastric ulcers. Sixty-five samples collected from ulcerated pars esophagea and 15 samples from non-ulcerated pyloric portions were submitted to histopathological and molecular analyses, to detect Helicobacter spp., H. suis and H. pylori by PCR. Feces and saliva swabs were also collected from 25 animals in order to detect in vivo the presence of Helicobacter spp.. Gastric ulcers were detected in 373 cases (93%). The presence of ulcers in association with inflammatory processes was further confirmed by histological examination. Forty-nine percent (32/65) of the ulcerated esophageal portions as well as 53% (8/15) of the non-ulcerated pyloric portions were positive for Helicobacter spp. by PCR. The Helicobacter spp. positive samples were also positive for H. suis, while H. pylori was not detected. These results were confirmed by restriction enzyme analysis. With regard to feces and saliva samples, 15/25 (60%) and 16/25 (64%) were positive for Helicobacter spp. PCR, respectively but all were negative in H. suis and H. pylori specific PCR.
Animals ; Feces/*microbiology ; Helicobacter/*isolation & purification ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Restriction Mapping/veterinary ; Saliva/*microbiology ; Stomach/*microbiology ; Stomach Ulcer/microbiology/pathology/*veterinary ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/*microbiology/pathology

This study was done to characterize diversity in 10 Brachyspira hyodysenteriae isolates in Korea. The isolates were compared with 14 well-characterized non-Korean strains of various Brachyspira species. All Korean isolates showed strong beta haemolysis and had blunt cell ends with 7~14 periplasmic flagella. They produced indole, and did not ferment fructose. They were alpha-glucosidase positive and alpha-galatosidase negative using the APIZYM kit. Using polyclonal antisera raised in rabbits against recognized serotypes, all isolates showed a strong reaction to B. hyodysenteriae antisera E, A and B. Using multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE) with 15 enzymes and 5 buffer systems, the Korean and non-Korean isolates were divided into 22 electrophoretic types (ETs) and 5 divisions (A, B, C, D and E). Division A corresponded to B. hyodysenteriae, B to B. innocens, C to B. intermedia, D to B. murdochii and E to B. pilosicoli. The 10 Korean isolates of B. hyodysenteriae were relatively diverse, being divided into 9 ETs within MLEE division A. They were all distinct from the non-Korean strains.
Animals ; Electrophoresis ; Genes, Bacterial ; Korea/epidemiology ; Rabbits ; Serotyping ; Serpulina hyodysenteriae/classification/genetics/*isolation&purification ; Spirochaetales Infections/*microbiology ; Swine/microbiology ; Swine Diseases/*microbiology ; Variation (Genetics)

The worldwide use of antimicrobials in different fields has created enormous pressure for the selection of resistance among opportunistic bacterial pathogen. One hundred four E. coli isolates were collected and identified from swine with diarrhea in Korea during the period of 2002. The isolates showed highly resistant to streptomycin (99. 0%), tetracycline (97. 1%), neomycin (91. 3%)and carbenicillin (84. 6%)in antimicrobial susceptibility test. Moreover, all of the isolates showed multiple antimicrobial resistant to more than 3, and 85%of them were resistant to more than 7 of total 14 antimicrobial agents. In comparison with isolates in 1998, resistance to antimicrobials was more frequent among the isolates in 2002. Presence of class 1 integrons was investigated through amplification of the gene with PCR, and could be classified 8 groups by pattern of 4 different amplicons. Class 1 integrons were observed in 67 strains (64. 2%)of E. coli from swine in Korea. One and 1. 6 kbp of amplicons were revealed to contain aadA1 and aadB-aadA1 gene cassettes respectively. Two kbp of amplicon had three different gene cassettes, dhfrXII-orfF-aadA2, and 3. 0 kbp of amplicon includes aadB-cmlA1 gene cassettes.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Diarrhea/microbiology/veterinary ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial/*genetics ; Escherichia coli/*drug effects/genetics ; Escherichia coli Infections/microbiology/*veterinary ; Integrons/*genetics ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/*microbiology

Intensive surveillance of human S.suis infection was carried out in July and August of 2005 in Guangdong Province, which coincided with the Sichuan outbreak. Five isolated cases of human infections were identified during this period, from which 5 S. suis serotype 2 isolates were recovered. MLST analysis showed that these 5 isolates shared identical sequences of 6 MLST housekeeping genes except for one point mutation found within the thrA gene fragment, a neutral mutation (TTA to TTG) in the third nucleotide (360 nt) of the codon for leucine. MLST analysis identified 2 sequence types in the Guangdong sporadic infection. Three Guangdong isolates L-SS002, L-SS003 and L-SS005 belonged to ST7, while the other two isolates L-SS004 and L-SS006 belonged to ST1, but they all belonged to ST1 clonal complex. This finding represents a striking feature that differs from the Sichuan outbreak caused by a single ST7 SS2 clone. The 3 isolates of ST7 were probably imported from Sichuan Province, while the origin of the other 2 isolates of ST1 still remain to be clarified.
Animals ; Bacterial Typing Techniques ; methods ; China ; DNA, Bacterial ; genetics ; Humans ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Streptococcal Infections ; microbiology ; Streptococcus suis ; classification ; genetics ; pathogenicity ; Swine ; Swine Diseases ; microbiology ; Zoonoses ; microbiology

The effect of acupuncture in the treatment of young pigs with induced enteropathogenic Escherichia coli diarrhea was histopathologically evaluated by routine hematoxylin and eosin stain. Thirty two pigs weighed 4-5kg and aged 21days old were used in this study. The animals with diarrhea were treated with traditional acupuncture, or enrofloxacin. In the group treated with traditional acupuncture, acupoint GV1 (Jiaochao) was used and in the group treated with antibiotics, enrofloxacin was injected intramuscularly. Ten pigs were inoculated with E. coli, but were not treated and served as nontreated control group. At postinoculation day 6, all pigs of the acupuncture and antibiotic treated groups recovered from diarrhea. In the ascending and descending colons of the nontreated control group, severe infiltration of inflammatory cells in the lamina propria was observed and in the fundic stomach, destruction of the fundic gland architecture and necrotic lesions were observed, however, in the same sites of the acupuncture and antibiotics treated groups, the mucosae of the colon and stomach were relatively similar to those of the normal group. These results indicate that acupuncture treatment is effective in controlling induced E. coli diarrhea in pigs at its early stage.
Acupuncture ; Animals ; Colon/cytology/microbiology/pathology ; Diarrhea/therapy/*veterinary ; Escherichia coli Infections/therapy/*veterinary ; Gastric Mucosa/cytology/microbiology/pathology ; Intestinal Mucosa/cytology/microbiology/pathology ; Male ; Stomach/cytology/microbiology/pathology ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/*microbiology/therapy

OBJECTIVEIn mid-July 2005, five patients presented with septic shock to a hospital in Ziyang city in Sichuan, China, to identify the etiology of the unknown reason disease, an epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory study were conducted.

METHODSAn enhanced surveillance program were established in Sichuan, the following activities were introduced: active case finding in Sichuan of (a) laboratory diagnosed Streptococcus suis infection and (b) clinically diagnosed probable cases with exposure history; supplemented by (c) monitoring reports on meningococcal meningitis. Streptococcus suis serotype 2 infection was confirmed by culture and biochemical reactions, followed by sequencing for specific genes for serotype and virulence factors.

RESULTSFrom June 10 to August 21, 2005, 68 laboratory confirmed cases of human Streptococcus suis infections were reported. All were villagers who gave a history of direct exposure to deceased or sick pigs in their backyards where slaughtering was performed. Twenty six (38%) presented with toxic shock syndrome of which 15 (58%) died. Other presentations were septicaemia or meningitis. All isolates were tested positive for genes for tuf, species-specific 16S rRNA, cps2J, mrp, ef and sly. There were 136 clinically diagnosed probable cases with similar exposure history but incomplete laboratory investigations.

CONCLUSIONAn outbreak of human Streptococcus suis serotype 2 infections occurred in villagers after direct exposure to deceased or sick pigs in Sichuan. Prohibition of slaughtering in backyards brought the outbreak to a halt. A virulent strain of the bacteria is speculated to be in circulation, and is responsible for the unusual presentation of toxic shock syndrome with high case fatality.

Animals ; Bacteremia ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; Meningitis, Bacterial ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Shock, Septic ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Streptococcal Infections ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; veterinary ; Streptococcus suis ; isolation & purification ; Swine ; Swine Diseases ; microbiology

A multiplex PCR assay was developed for the simultaneous detection of the etiologic agents associated with porcine proliferative enteropathies (PPE), swine dysentery (SD)and porcine salmonellosis (PS)in a single reaction using DNA from swine intestinal samples. Single and multiplex PCR amplification of DNA from Lawsonia intracellularis, Salmonella typhimurium and Brachyspira hyodysenteriae with each primer set produced fragments of the predicted size without any nonspecific amplification, 210-bp, 298-bp and 403-bp bands, respectively. The single PCR assay could detect as little as 100 pg of purified DNA of S. typhimurium and L. intracellularis, and 50 pg of B.hyodysenteriae, respectively. However, multiplex PCR turned out to be 10 times lower sensitivity with S. typhimurium compared with single PCR. With 23 swine intestinal specimens suspected of having PPE, SD and/or PS, the multiplex PCR assay showed identical results with conventional methods except one. In conclusion, this multiplex PCR is a feasible alternative to standard diagnostic methods for detection of L. intracellularis, B. hyodysenteriae and Salmonella spp. from swine intestinal specimens.
Animals ; Desulfovibrionaceae Infections/microbiology/veterinary ; Intestines/microbiology ; Lawsonia Bacteria/*isolation&purification ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/*methods/veterinary ; Salmonella/*isolation&purification ; Salmonella Infections, Animal/diagnosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spirochaetales/*isolation&purification ; Spirochaetales Infections/microbiology/veterinary ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/*diagnosis/*microbiology

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) causes neonatal and post-weaning diarrhea in pigs. In order to determine the risk factors, rectal/fecal swabs and visceral organs obtained from pig farms in two regions of South Africa were analyzed microbiologically against risk variables. Seventy-two percent of young pigs were found to be positive for ETEC toxin genes; estB (38.9%), estB/STAP (25%), and estB/LT (13.9%) were dominant. Risk factors for ETEC-diarrhea in pigs include: leaving sick piglets in a pen with healthy piglets [odds ratio (OR) = 33.52; P < 0.0001]; water spillage in pen (OR = 42.87; P < 0.0001); hypothermic piglets (OR = 7.29; P < 0.0001); runt piglets in pen with healthy littermates (OR = 3.65; P < 0.0001); and prolonged use of antibiotics (OR = 3.05; P = 0.05).
Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Diarrhea ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Escherichia coli Infections ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; veterinary ; Genes, Bacterial ; Prevalence ; Rectum ; microbiology ; Risk Factors ; South Africa ; Swine ; Swine Diseases ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Weaning

Using three reference strains of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae (B204, B234, B169), one B. pilosicoli (P43/6/78), one B. murdochii (56-150), one B. intermedia (PWS/A), one B. innocens (B256) and ten Korean isolates, PCR-RFLP analysis of DNA encoding 23S rRNA was performed to establish a rapid and accurate method for characterizing porcine intestinal spirochetes. Consequently, B. hyodysenteriae and B. pilosicoli revealed different restriction patterns; however, the other three species shared the same pattern. These findings are not consistent with a prior report. Differences in 23S rRNA gene sequences, between two B. murdochii strains, 56-150 and 155-20, were observed. These results indicate that 23S rRNA PCR-RFLP could be used as an identification method for pathogenic Brachyspira spp. (B. hyodysenteriae and B. pilosicoli) as well as an epidemiological tool for characterizing spirochetes isolated from swine.
Animals ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; Dysentery, Bacillary/diagnosis/microbiology/*veterinary ; Korea ; Phylogeny ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods/*veterinary ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; RNA, Ribosomal, 23S/chemistry/*genetics ; Spirochaetales/*genetics/*isolation&purification ; Spirochaetales Infections/diagnosis/microbiology/*veterinary ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/diagnosis/*microbiology

Lawsonia intracellularis is not culturable with a standard bacteriologic culture. One step PCR assay as a clinical diagnostic method was developed for the rapid detection of porcine proliferative enteritis (PPE) caused by L. intracellularis. Primers were designed based on the p78 DNA clone of L. intracellularis. The one step PCR resulted in the formation of a specific 210-bp DNA product derived from L. intracellularis. The nonspecific amplification product was not detected with swine genomic DNA or other bacterial strains causing similar symptoms to L. intracellularis infection. The one step PCR was as sensitive as 100 pg of L. intracellularis genomic DNA. We applied this method to field specimens diagnosed as PPE by macroscopic observation. Of 17 mucosal scraping specimens, 16(94%) were identified as positive to PPE and 15(88%) of 17 feces specimens. These results suggest that the one step PCR can be used as a rapid diagnostic method for L. intracellularis infection.
Animals ; Base Sequence ; DNA Primers ; Desulfovibrionaceae Infections/diagnosis/*veterinary ; Ileum/microbiology/pathology ; Intestinal Mucosa/microbiology/pathology ; Lawsonia Bacteria/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/*methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/*diagnosis/microbiology