Streptococcus suis is a pathogen associated with severe diseases in pigs and humans. Human infections have a zoonotic origin in pigs. To assess circulating strains, we characterized the serotypes, ...sequence types, and antimicrobial susceptibility of 78 S. suis isolates from diseased farmed pigs in Italy during 2017-2019. Almost 60% of infections were caused by serotypes 1/2 and 9. All but 1 of the serotype 2 and 1/2 isolates were confined to a single cluster, and serotype 9 isolates were distributed along the phylogenetic tree. Besides sequence type (ST) 1, the serotype 2 cluster included ST7, which caused severe human infections in China in 1998 and 2005. A large proportion of serotype 9 isolates, assigned to ST123, were resistant to penicillin. The emergence of this clone threatens the successful treatment of S. suis infection. Characterizing S. suis isolates from pigs will promote earlier detection of emerging clones.
Mycoplasma hyorhinis (M. hyorhinis) is a bacterium commonly found in the upper respiratory tract of healthy pigs and an agent of polyserositis and polyarthritis. Moreover, it can carry antibiotic ...resistance genes (Wu et al, Vet. Microbiol. 76: 25-30, 2000). Economic losses caused by M. hyorhinis can be reduced by antibiotic therapy, however, isolation and antimicrobic susceptibility profile are rarely performed.
The present report describes a case of pericarditis caused by M. hyorhinis in a weaned piglet with respiratory symptoms and reduced growth performance. At post mortem examination, the main macroscopic finding was a severe fibrinous pericarditis and M. hyorhins was the only agent isolated from the pericardial fluid. In this strain, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) determination revealed resistance to various antimicrobial molecules such as erythromycin, tylosin and tilmicosin.
This paper highlights the importance of including M. hyorhins in the differential diagnosis of polyserositis in swine. Moreover, due the possible presence of multidrug resistance, the determination of antimicrobial susceptibility pattern should be performed on a regular basis.
The objective of this study was to employ a diagnostic algorithm, which involves detecting positive farms by stool PCR followed by PCR and histology/immunohistochemistry on ileum samples, for ...diagnosing
proliferative enteritis in Northern Italy. The primary aim was to examine the relationship between the gold standard of
diagnostics, namely histology and immunohistochemistry, and PCR in acute and chronic cases of
enteritides. An additional goal was to investigate the coinfection of
with porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2). Twenty-eight ileum samples, including four from acute cases and 24 from chronic cases, were collected. PCR yielded positive results in 19 cases (four acute and 15 chronic cases). In comparison, immunohistochemistry was positive in 16 cases (four acute and 12 chronic cases), with an observed agreement of 89%. The findings suggest that performing the two tests in series can increase the specificity of the causal diagnosis. PCR may be used as a screening tool to identify the presence of the microorganism, and only positive cases will be examined by histology and immunohistochemistry to confirm the causative role of
. Co-infection with PCV2 was demonstrate in two out of four acute cases and in two out of 24 chronic cases, providing further evidence to support the hypothesis that when the infection starts with ubiquitous pathogens such as
, it may boost the possibility of PCV2 replication, especially in acute cases. As a result, this may trigger a transition from subclinical to clinical forms of PCV2 disease.
In swine, the diagnosis of enteric diseases is challenging due to simultaneous presence of one or more microbic agents sharing similar clinical signs and pathological lesions. Therefore, the study of ...microscopic lesions is crucial in establishing the role of pathogens as causative agents in cases of co-infections; this can be confirmed by demonstrating agent-lesion co-localization. Although PCR is more sensitive than IHC, the latter provides a positive result only when the amount of antigen is significant, and therefore is likely the cause of the enteric pathology. Lawsonia intracellularis is the aetiologic agent responsible for Porcine proliferative enteropathy. However, it is complex to determine whether this intracellular bacterium is the cause of clinical disease due to its high prevalence in the field. In this study, we investigate the agreement between PCR and IHC results for L. intracellularis evaluation, and the infection and co-infection by porcine circovirus type 2 and L. intracellularis in the ilea of pigs presented with suspected proliferative enteropathy in Italy. The objective of this study was to employ a diagnostic algorithm, which involves detecting positive farms by stool PCR followed by PCR and histology/immunohistochemistry on ileum samples, for diagnosing Lawsonia intracellularis proliferative enteritis in Northern Italy. The primary aim was to examine the relationship between the gold standard of L. intracellularis diagnostics, namely histology and immunohistochemistry, and PCR in acute and chronic cases of L. intracellularis enteritides. An additional goal was to investigate the coinfection of L. intracellularis with porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2). Twenty-eight ileum samples, including four from acute cases and 24 from chronic cases, were collected. PCR yielded positive results in 19 cases (four acute and 15 chronic cases). In comparison, immunohistochemistry was positive in 16 cases (four acute and 12 chronic cases), with an observed agreement of 89%. The findings suggest that performing the two tests in series can increase the specificity of the causal diagnosis. PCR may be used as a screening tool to identify the presence of the microorganism, and only positive cases will be examined by histology and immunohistochemistry to confirm the causative role of L. intracellularis. Co-infection with PCV2 was demonstrate in two out of four acute cases and in two out of 24 chronic cases, providing further evidence to support the hypothesis that when the infection starts with ubiquitous pathogens such as L. intracellularis, it may boost the possibility of PCV2 replication, especially in acute cases. As a result, this may trigger a transition from subclinical to clinical forms of PCV2 disease.
Laboratory tests provide essential support to the veterinary practitioner, and their use has grown exponentially. This growth is the result of several factors, such as the eradication of historical ...diseases, the occurrence of multifactorial diseases, and the obligation to control endemic and epidemic diseases. However, the introduction of novel techniques is counterbalanced by economic constraints, and the establishment of evidence- and consensus-based guidelines is essential to support the pathologist. Therefore, we developed standardized protocols, categorized by species, type of production, age, and syndrome at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), a multicenter institution for animal health and food safety. We have 72 protocols in use for livestock, poultry, and pets, categorized as, for example, “bovine enteric calf”, “rabbit respiratory”, “broiler articular”. Each protocol consists of a panel of tests, divided into ‘mandatory’ and ‘ancillary’, to be selected by the pathologist in order to reach the final diagnosis. After autopsy, the case is categorized into a specific syndrome, subsequently referred to as a syndrome-specific panel of analyses. The activity of the laboratories is monitored through a web-based dynamic reporting system developed using a business intelligence product (QlikView) connected to the laboratory information management system (IZILAB). On a daily basis, reports become available at general, laboratory, and case levels, and are updated as needed. The reporting system highlights epidemiologic variations in the field and allows verification of compliance with the protocols within the organization. The diagnostic protocols are revised annually to increase system efficiency and to address stakeholder requests.
•Some E. coli pathogenic strains may cause enteric or extra-intestinal disease.•We examine high puppy mortality due to extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli.•Bitch's milk could be the main source of ...ExPEC infection.•Isolated E. coli strains were assigned to phylogroup B2.•Strains were biofilm producers with ability to colonize and survive in the host.
A 10-day-old litter of five puppies of Bracco Italiano dog breed showed weakness and diarrhea and, 2 days later, four of them died. At the same time, the bitch showed high hyperthermia (40°C) and endometritis. The necropsy of a puppy revealed a severe lobar pneumonia accompanied with a bilateral nephrosis. No gross lesions were detected in other organs. Histopathology of the lung revealed severe multifocal fibrino-suppurative necrotizing bronchiolar-alveolitis associated with rod-shaped bacterial aggregates and diffuse interstitial lymphocytic infiltration. The kidney showed severe multifocal necrosis of the tubular epithelium and diffuse severe congestion of the parenchyma. A pure culture of hemolytic Escherichia coli carrying the Cnf-1 gene was identified, from both the puppy organs and bitch's milk. Moreover, phylo-typing assigned them to the phylogroup B2. Two weeks later, fecal samples from the bitch and the survived puppy were collected for a second microbiological analysis, identifying two hemolytic E. coli strains, Cnf positive and Cdt negative and Cnf and Cdt negative, respectively.
Some E. coli pathogenic strains may cause enteric or extraintestinal disease. In dogs and cats, strains of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) produce specific virulent factors such as hemolysis and cytotoxin necrotizing factors (Cnf). In this episode, we hypothesize that the bitch's milk could be the main source of ExPEC infection causing high puppies mortality. The role of the bitch as a carrier could not be excluded: stressful conditions, such as pregnancy and delivery, would change the host–pathogen dynamics possibly increasing the release of the infectious burden.
Trichinella pseudospiralis is a non-encapsulated species infecting both mammals and birds. In Italy, this parasite was reported only in two night-birds of prey of Central Italy. In January 2010,
...Trichinella larvae were detected in three wild boars (
Sus scrofa) of two regions of Northern Italy by enzymatic digestion. The parasites were identified as
T. pseudospiralis by multiplex-PCR. The first infected wild boar was hunted in the Emilia Romagna region and the other two infected wild boars were bred outdoors in a small family farm of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. These new epidemiological data reinforce the role of the wild boar as the main reservoir of
T. pseudospiralis in Europe.
An unusual mortality in wild boars (Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758) was observed in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in north-eastern Italy, in 2013. Mortality was due to septicaemia caused by Salmonella ...enterica serovar Choleraesuis (Salmonella Choleraesuis), a swine-adapted serovar that may also lead to systemic infections in humans. In a public health perspective, wildlife can play a role at the Salmonella-animal-human-interface, since wild populations could act as a reservoir of this pathogen. Concerning S. Choleraesuis, some strains of this serovar, which may also be transmitted to humans by means of food, show resistance to different antibiotics with possible implications for human health, but currently, knowledge is still lacking. This study was aimed at assessing susceptibility to antimicrobials in the S. Choleraesuis isolates in wild boar from the cited outbreak (n=30), in order to gain more knowledge about the presence and distribution of antibiotic-resistant pathogens in wildlife of North-Eastern Italy. Tests used were disk diffusion (DD) and minimum inhibitory concentration (broth microdilution method, MIC). Moreover, an extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) test was performed to identify ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. Results indicated no resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics, while all isolates (100%) were resistant to spiramycin and tilmicosin by DD test, and 22/30 (73%) showed resistance to streptomycin by MIC. Since S. Choleraesuis may represent an emerging health problem for livestock and humans, due to both its pathogenicity and specific antibiotic-resistance, monitoring in sympatric swine and wild boars would be desirable.
Starting from February 2012, an unusual mortality was reported in the wild boar population of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, North Eastern Italy. Strains of Salmonella enterica, biochemically ...characterised as Salmonella Choleraesuis, were isolated from dead wild boars with microbiological and pathological findings indicative of septicaemia. Analyses performed from March 2012 to April 2013 on organs of dead and hunted boars showed that initially the infection was limited to a territory corresponding to five neighbouring municipalities. Afterwards, between May 2013 and August 2013, three other municipalities were involved. In total, between March 2012 and August 2013, 24 out of 36 carcasses (66.7%) and organs from 19 out of 341 hunted animals (5.6%) tested positive for Salmonella spp. From the 43 positive animals, 48 Salmonella spp. isolates were obtained, and 46 out of these were biochemically identified as S. Choleraesuis. However, 34 strains showed unusual antigenic characteristics, since they lacked the expression of the first flagellar antigen (27 isolates), the somatic antigen (1 isolate), the somatic and the first flagellar antigen (6 isolates). The remaining 12 isolates were serotyped as S. Choleraesuis var. Kunzendorf. Although S. Choleraesuis is considered a host-adapted pathogen of swine, it can cause a severe infection in humans; therefore, due to the particular epidemiological situation and the potential concern for public health, actions were taken to prevent the risk of infection among hunters and other involved categories.
Background: The use of portable respiratory monitoring (PM) has been proposed for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS),
but most studies that validate PM accuracy have not ...followed the best standards for diagnostic test validation. The objective
of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of PM performed at home to diagnose OSAS and its outcomes after first validating
PM in the laboratory setting by comparing it to polysomnography (PSG).
Methods: Patients with suspected OSAS were submitted, in random order, to PM at the sleep laboratory concurrently with PSG (lab-PM)
or at home-PM. The diagnostic performance was assessed by sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values,
positive likelihood ratio (+LR), negative likelihood ratio (âLR), intraclass correlation coefficients, κ statistic, and Bland-Altman
plot.
Results: One hundred fifty-seven subjects (73% men, mean age ± SD, 45 ± 12 yr) with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 31 (SD ± 29)
events/h were studied. Excluding inadequate recordings, 149 valid comparisons with lab-PM and 121 with unattended home-PM
were obtained. Compared to PSG for detecting AHI > 5, the lab-PM demonstrated sensitivity of 95.3%, specificity of 75%, +LR
of 3.8, and âLR of 0.11; the home-PM exhibited sensitivity of 96%, specificity of 64%, +LR of 2.7, and âLR of 0.05. Kappa
statistics indicated substantial correlation between PSG and PM results. Bland-Altman plot showed smaller dispersion for lab-PM
than for home-PM. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients among the three AHIs and clinical outcomes were similar,
denoting comparable diagnostic ability.
Conclusions: This study used all available comparison methods to demonstrate accuracy of PM in-home recordings similar to that of repeated
PSGs. PM increases the possibility of correctly diagnosing and effectively treating OSAS in populations worldwide.
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