Erysipelothrix Spp. Genotypes, Serotypes, and Surface Protective Antigen Types Associated with Abattoir Condemnations

Abstract

Abstract. The objective of the current study was to investigate characteristics of Erysipelothrix spp. from slaughter condemnations. Specimens from 70 carcasses with lesions suspect for swine erysipelas were collected at an abattoir in Iowa from October 2007 to February 2009. Erysipelothrix spp. were isolated from 59 of 70 carcasses (84.3%). Abattoir inspectors classified lesions as acute, subacute, or chronic; 8 of 8 (100%) were acute cases, 31 of 32 (96.9%) were subacute cases, and 20 of 30 (66.6%) were chronic cases that were isolation positive. The following serotypes were identified: 1a (40.7%; 24/59), 2 (49.2%; 29/59), 7 (1/59), 10 (1/59), 11 (1/59), and untypeable (5.1%; 3/59). Serotypes 1a and 2 were identified in pigs with acute, subacute, or chronic clinical manifestations, whereas serotypes 7, 10, and 11 were only present in chronic cases. Fifty-seven of the 59 isolates were determined to belong to E. rhusiopathiae, and 2 of 59 of the isolates were determined to be E. tonsillarum by multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction. Surface protective antigen (spa) A was detected in all E. rhusiopathiae isolates but not in E. tonsillarum serotypes 7 and 10. The results of the present study indicate that E. rhusiopathiae serotypes 1a and 2 continue to be commonly isolated from condemned pig carcasses and that spaA is the exclusive spa type in U.S. abattoir isolates. Interestingly, E. tonsillarum, thought to be avirulent for swine, was isolated from systemic sites from 3.4% of the carcasses that were negative for E. rhusiopathiae, indicating the potential importance of this genotype in erysipelas pathogenesis.

Development and evaluation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on a recombinant SpaA protein (rSpaA415) for detection of anti-Erysipelothrix spp. IgG antibodies in pigs

“…No significant cross-reactivity against E. tonsillarum strains and E. sp. strain 1 which do not express SpaA, SpaB or SpaC was seen, perhaps suggesting a mechanism for a lack of protection from currently available vaccines (Bender et al, 2011). The above results are consistent with previous observations (Imada et al, 2003) that spa genes are highly conserved among serotypes containing different Spa types, and this characteristic provides a major mechanism for the cross-protective activity of SpaA against challenge with Erysipelothrix spp.…”

“…In contrast, sera from rabbits hyperimmunized with serotype N, known to express the SpaA protein, were found to be non-reactive against the rSpaA415 polypeptide. However, earlier studies have indicated that serotype N strains lack a type-specific antigen; as a result, they fail to induce antibody production in rabbits (Kucsera, 1973;Wood and Harrington, 1978;Bender et al, 2011).…”

“…The bacterial isolates were propagated and the inocula prepared as previously described to a final titer of 10 5 colony forming units (CFU) in 2 ml . The spa type of the inocula was confirmed by a previously described multiplex real-time PCR method (Pal et al, 2009;Shen et al, 2010;Bender et al, 2011).…”

Characterization of <i>Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae</i> Strains Isolated from Recent Swine Erysipelas Outbreaks in Japan

“…Since swine erysipelas (SE) reappeared as a clinical problem in pig populations in Japan and in the Midwestern United States, it has been considered as a reemerging disease that contributes substantially to economic losses in the swine industry [1,2,5]. In Japan, to protect against SE, strain Koganei 65-0.15 (serotype 1a), which was attenuated by 65 passages on agar media containing 0.15% of an acriflavine dye, has been used as a seed strain for production of a live vaccine [16].…”

“…obtained previously [1,3,5,14,18]. Those studies found high rates of serotypes 1a and 2 from pigs with erysipelas from 2007-2009 in Iowa (40.7% and 49.2% of 59, respectively), from pigs affected with erysipelas in Japan from the years 1983-1993 (40.4% and 34.3% of 1046, respectively) [18], from the years 1992-2002 (47.6% and 31.8% of 800, respectively) [5], and from 1994-2001 (28.8% and 47% of 66, respectively) [14].…”