Category:Brachyspira and Serpulina
- Anaerobic, intestinal spirochaetes, found in normal and diseased pigs
- Enterophogens of pigs
- B. hyodysenteriae, B. pilosicoli, B. innocens, Serpulina intermedia and S. murdochii occur in pigs
- Carrier pigs shed B. hyodysenteriae for up to 3 months, acting as a source of infection for healthy pigs
- Demonstrated in stained faecal smears or silver-stained histopathology sections
- Cultured anaerobically on selective blood agar
- Spirochaetes differentiated by pattern of haemolysis on blood agar as well as molecular techniques
- Pathogenesis
- Motility in mucous allows colonisation of pig intestine
- Haemolytic and cytotoxic activiity important for virulence
- Attachment of B. pilosicoli to epithelial cells of colonic mucosa disrupts their function and leads to their shedding and oedema
- Clinical infections
- B. pilosicoli causes porcine intestinal spirochaetosis
- Infection is acquired via contaminated faeces
- Disease spreads slowly through the herd
- Dogs, rats, mice and flies may act as transport hosts
- Clinical signs
- B. pilosicoli causes less severe signs than swine dysentry; reduced feed conversion rates occur
- Diagnosis
- History, clinical signs and gross pathology
- Anaerobic culture on blood agar with added antibiotics for at least 3 days
- Immunofluorescence, DNA probes and biochemical tests
- Serology using ELISA can be used on a herd basis
- PCR
Pages in category "Brachyspira and Serpulina"
The following 2 pages are in this category, out of 2 total.