Helcococcus ovis associated with septic arthritis and bursitis in calves – a case report

Abstract

Background Septic arthritis often occurs in young calves when the passive transfer of maternal immunoglobulins has failed, which results in hypogammaglobulinaemia in the calf. Another important cause is suboptimal herd health management which often leads to general health impairment and, subsequently, to septic arthritis. Case presentation A dairy farmer consulted the Herd Health Service of the University Clinic reporting general herd health impairment, a high incidence of respiratory diseases, unsatisfactory weight gain and arthritis in calves, as well as mastitis and high milk cell counts. Clinical examinations were performed, and diagnostic measures were taken. A transtracheal lavage (TTL) was performed, and synovial swab samples were taken from the carpal joint and the subcutaneous tarsal bursae of two calves. Microbiological examinations of synovial swabs revealed co-infections of Trueperella pyogenes and Helcococcus ovis in one calf and Helcococcus ovis in pure culture in the other. The TTLs confirmed the presence of Mycoplasma spp. associated with respiratory diseases. Conclusions Helcococcus ovis is currently regarded as a co-infective bacterial agent. However, it seems to play a significant role as the primary pathogen in this case.

Pangenomic analysis ofHelcococcus ovisreveals widespread tetracycline resistance and a novel bacterial species,Helcococcus bovis

“…The alternative, intrauterine oxytetracycline infusions, remains a frequent practice both in clinical and research settings in the United States and Europe (33,34). Furthermore, dairy operations often use oxytetracycline as prophylactics in heifer rearing or as a treatment for calf pneumonia, a type of infection H. ovis has been implicated in (12). Although the MICs for oxytetracycline were not assessed, there is no inherent difference between a tetracycline and an oxytetracycline resistance genes (35), and 96.8% of isolates in this study carry at least one tetracycline resistance gene shown to confer tetracycline resistance in vitro.…”

Establishing Galleria mellonella as an invertebrate model for the emerging multi-host pathogen Helcococcus ovis

“…Given H. ovis’ recurrent appearance in mixed infections and its apparent reliance on co-occurring bacteria for pyridoxal metabolism, its ability to independently cause extravascular infections is not well established. Co-isolation with other known pathogenic bacteria continued to be a feature of H. ovis isolates from infections in bovine hosts including metritis, mastitis, hepatic abscesses, and septic arthritis [ 4–7 ].…”

Sequencing and characterization of Helcococcus ovis: a comprehensive comparative genomic analysis of virulence

“…Helcococcus ovis ( H. ovis ) is a Gram-positive, facultative anaerobic, multi-host animal pathogen that often goes undetected due to the specific conditions required for its isolation [ 1 – 3 ]. The bacterium is a recurrent feature in mixed infections in domestic ruminant hosts, including mastitis [ 4 ], pneumonia septic arthritis [ 5 ], and metritis [ 6 ]. Although H. ovis is known to rely on pyridoxal provided by co-occurring bacteria to grow in-vitro, its ability to cause infections independently has been demonstrated [ 4 , 5 , 7 ].…”

“…The bacterium is a recurrent feature in mixed infections in domestic ruminant hosts, including mastitis [ 4 ], pneumonia septic arthritis [ 5 ], and metritis [ 6 ]. Although H. ovis is known to rely on pyridoxal provided by co-occurring bacteria to grow in-vitro, its ability to cause infections independently has been demonstrated [ 4 , 5 , 7 ]. Bovine isolates of H. ovis alone can cause mastitis and synergize with Trueperella pyogenes ( T. pyogenes ) to inflict more severe lesions in the mammary glands of murine infection models [ 4 ].…”

“…Bovine isolates of H. ovis alone can cause mastitis and synergize with Trueperella pyogenes ( T. pyogenes ) to inflict more severe lesions in the mammary glands of murine infection models [ 4 ]. In dairy calves with Mycoplasma bovis ( M. bovis ) pneumonia, co-infecting H. ovis can cause septic arthritis and produce areas of lung necrosis alongside the caseous lesions seen in M. bovis infections [ 5 , 8 ]. In dairy cows ( Bos taurus) , a higher abundance of H. ovis in the uterus has been associated with metritis [ 6 ], but its role in the pathogenesis of the disease remains unclear due to the complexity of the uterine microbiota [ 9 , 10 ].…”