The Gram-positive tonsillar and nasal flora of piglets before and after weaning

Abstract

Aims: To investigate Gram‐positive nasal and tonsillar microbial flora of piglets before and after weaning. Methods and Results: The nasal and tonsillar Gram‐positive bacterial flora of 20 non‐weaned piglets (2 weeks of age) and 20 weaned piglets (6 weeks of age), obtained from four different piggeries, was quantified by culture and identified by tDNA‐PCR. The most widely occurring species from nasal conchae before as well as after weaning in the different piglets investigated were Streptococcus suis and Rothia nasimurium. After weaning a wide variety of Lactobacillus species appeared but in low numbers. In the tonsils, Strep. suis, Strep. dysgalactiae, S. hyicus, S. aureus, Arcanobacterium pyogenes and Actinomyces hyovaginalis were the species isolated from the largest number of pigs before and after weaning. S. aureus and most lactobacilli became more prevalent after weaning. Bacteria not known to be associated with pigs found in the present study included R. nasimurium, Strep. gallolyticus, Pediococcus pentosaceus and some Lactobacillus species. Conclusions: Over 30 different Gram‐positive bacterial species may occur in nasal conchae and tonsils of unweaned piglets at 2 weeks of age and of 6‐week‐old weaned piglets. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study demonstrated that weaning is associated with changes in prevalence of only a small minority of the highly diversified bacterial flora of the nares and tonsils of pigs.

The effect of anatomic site and age on detection of Staphylococcus aureus in pigs

“…One 2013 experimental study reported markedly higher numbers of S. aureus in pharyngeal (including tonsil) tissues of pigs than in nasal samples, 12 and a similar observation was reported for naturally infected pigs. 2 The importance of the oropharynx as a site of colonization of people with S. aureus is well established, with several studies reporting higher prevalence in oropharyngeal than nasal samples. 29 It has been suggested that housing of pigs in isolation could give some insight into which locations are most supportive of S. aureus persistence.…”

Identification of a Novel Host-Specific IgM Protease in Streptococcus suis

“…T he respiratory, alimentary, and genital tracts of healthy pigs are commonly colonized by Streptococcus suis (1,2). However, S. suis is also one of the most important porcine pathogens, causing different pathologies such as meningitis, septicemia, arthritis, and endocarditis (3).…”

Emended description of Streptococcus ferus isolated from pigs and rats

“…During an investigation of the tonsillar and nasal flora of piglets with tRNA-intergenic spacer length polymorphism analysis (tDNA-PCR) (Baele et al, 2001a), a group of Gram-positive coccal isolates was isolated and characterized further. Representative strains were studied extensively and were found to belong to the poorly described species Streptococcus ferus.…”