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− | ===Overview=== | + | {{frontpage |
| + | |pagetitle =Spirochaetes |
| + | |pagebody = ''Spirochaetes'' are spiral or helical Gram-negative bacteria. They are motile organisms as they have endoflagella. The position of their flagella is used to distinguish this bacteria, they run length ways and cause a twisting motion. Spirochaetes may cause zoonotic infections. |
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| + | |contentbody =<big><b> |
| + | <categorytree mode=pages>Spirochaetes</categorytree> |
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− | *Two families exist, ''[[:Category:Leptospiraceae]]'' and ''[[:Category:Spirochaetaceae]]''
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− | *''Leptospiraceae'' include the pathogens of the genus ''Leptospira''
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− | *''Spirochaetaceae'' include the pathogens of the genera ''Borrelia'', ''Brachyspira'' and ''Treponema''
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− | *Many cause zoonotic infections
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− | ===Characteristics===
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− | *Spiral or helical Gram-negative bacteria
| + | [[Category:Bacterial Organisms]] |
− | *Motile organisms via endoflagella
| + | [[Category:Gram_negative_bacteria]] |
− | *Poor survival in the environment and sensitive to dessication
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− | *Stain poorly with Gram stain
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− | *Most require specialised media for growth
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− | *Serology required for identification
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− | | + | [[Category:Zoonoses]] |
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− | ===''Borrelia''===
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− | *Longer, wider, helical spirochaetes with a linear chromosome and linear and circular plasmids
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− | *Obligate parasites transmitted by arthropod vectors
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− | *Cause systemic infections in many animals and humans
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− | *Slow growth in specialised culture media
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− | *Lyme disease
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− | **Caused by ''Borrelia burgdorferi''
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− | **Reported in humans, dogs, horses, cattle, sheep
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− | **Ticks are the vector, which acquire the infection from small rodents, the reservoir hosts
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− | **Ticks transmit the infection to large mammals such as deer and sheep
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− | **''Ixodes ricinus'' is the most common tick vector in Europe
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− | **Pathogenesis
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− | ***Virulence of the borreliae requires a change in expression of an outer membrane protein following ingestion of blood by the tick
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− | ***Borreliae multiply in the blood stream of susceptible hosts and disseminate throughout the body
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− | ***Localisation in joints, brain, nerves, eyes and heart can occur
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− | ***The associated lesions may be in part caused by the host immune response
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− | **CLinical signs
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− | ***May be subclinical in endemic areas
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− | ***Clinical manifestation depends on the site of localisation of organisms
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− | ***Disease in dogs may cause fever, lethargy, arthritis, cardiac, renal or neurological disturbance
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− | ***Horses suffer similar clinical signs but also lameness, uveitis, nephritis, hepatitis and encephalitis
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− | ***Cattle and sheep may suffer from lameness
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− | **Diagnosis
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− | ***Laboratory confirmation difficult due to low numbers of organisms and fastidious growth requirements
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− | ***History of exposure to ticks in an endemic region and clinical signs
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− | ***Rising antibody titre to ''Borrelia burgdorferi'' detected by ELISA
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− | ***Immunofluorescence
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− | ***Culture in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly medium for 6 weeks under microaerophilic conditions
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− | ***PCR
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− | **Treatment and control
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− | ***Amoxycillin and oxytetracycline in the acute phase; prolonged treatment in the chronic phase
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− | ***Tick control and removal
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− | ***Vaccines including whole cell bacterins and recombinant subunit vaccines available for dogs
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− | ===Avian spirochaetosis===
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− | *Caused by ''Borrelia anserina''
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− | *Acute, endemic disease of birds in tropical and subtropical regions
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− | *Chickens, turkeys, pheasants, ducks and geese susceptible
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− | *Transmitted by soft ticks of the ''Argas'' family, but also via contact with infected material such as blood and tissues
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− | *Transmitted transovarially and trans-stadially via the tick population
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− | *Outbreaks during peak tick activity during warm, humid conditions
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− | *Fever, anaemia and wight loss occurs, with development of paralysis later
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− | *Immunity is serotype specific
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− | *Diagnosis using dark-field microscopy of buffy coat smears or immunodluorescence of blood or tissues
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− | *Giemsa-stained smears and silver impregnation of tissues
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− | *Isolation of borreliae by inoculation of embryonated eggs or chicks
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− | *Antibiotic treatment
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− | *Inactivated vaccines available
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− | ===''Brachyspira'' and ''Serpulina''===
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− | *Anaerobic, intestinal spirochaetes, found in normal and diseased pigs
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− | *Enterophogens of pigs
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− | *''B. hyodysenteriae, B. pilosicoli, B. innocens, Serpulina intermedia'' and ''S. murdochii'' occur in pigs
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− | *Carrier pigs shed ''B. hyodysenteriae'' for up to 3 months, acting as a source of infection for healthy pigs
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− | *Demonstrated in stained faecal smears or silver-stained histopathology sections
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− | *Cultured anaerobically on selective blood agar
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− | *Spirochaetes differentiated by pattern of haemolysis on blood agar as well as molecular techniques
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− | *Pathogenesis
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− | **Motility in mucous allows colonisation of pig intestine
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− | **Haemolytic and cytotoxic activiity important for virulence
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− | **Attachment of ''B. pilosicoli'' to epithelial cells of colonic mucosa disrupts their function and leads to their shedding and oedema
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− | *Clinical infections
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− | **''B. hyodysenteriae'' causes [[Intestines Fibrinous/Haemorrhagic Enteritis - Pathology#Swine Dysentery|swine dysentery]]
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− | **''B. pilosicoli'' causes porcine intestinal spirochaetosis
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− | **Infection is acquired via contaminated faeces
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− | **Disease spreads slowly through the herd
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− | **Dogs, rats, mice and flies may act as transport hosts
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− | **''B. hyodysenteriae'' survives several weeks in moist faeces
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− | *Clinical signs
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− | **''B. hyodysenteriae'' causes dysentry in weaned pigs 6-12 weeks old; pigs lose condition and become emaciated; appetite is decreased; large amount of mucous may be present in the faeces; low mortality; poor feed conversion ratio
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− | **''B. pilosicoli'' causes less severe signs than swine dysentry; reduced feed conversion rates occur
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− | *Diagnosis
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− | **History, clinical signs and gross pathology
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− | **Anaerobic culture on blood agar with added antibiotics for at least 3 days
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− | **''B. hyodysenteriae'' causes complete haemolysis whereas other spirochaetes cause partial haemolysis
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− | **Immunofluorescence, DNA probes and biochemical tests
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− | **Serology using ELISA can be used on a herd basis
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− | **PCR
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− | [[Brachyspira hyodysenteriae]][[Category:Gram_negative_bacteria]]
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