Objective: To evaluate the genetic relatedness and antibiotic sensitivity profiles of Campylobacter coli isolates from sows and piglets housed in an integrated swine production facility. Sample Population: Ninety-nine isolates of Campylobacter coli were collected from 3 sows (Yorkshire-Landrace) and 18 piglets (Yorkshire-Landrace X Duroc or Hampshire) housed in a common farrowing barn. Procedure: When piglets were weaned (21 day of age) fecal samples were collected for the sows and rectal samples were collected from the piglets. Isolation of Campylobacter coli was performed using an enrichment broth and restrictive media under microaerophilic conditions. Results: The Campylobacter coli isolates segregated into 20 ribogroups and exhibited 32 antibiotic susceptibility profiles. The Ribogroup (224-373-S-5) contained 35 isolates from eleven animals. Thirty-eight percent of the animals exhibited a single ribogroup, while 10% of the animals exhibited four ribogroups. No discernible pattern of ribogroup relatedness was observed among the sows and piglets or among littermates. Conclusion: The data suggests a high level of diversity in both ribotypic patterns and antibiotic sensitivity profiles among the Campylobacter coli isolated from related pigs housed in a single facility. Further, no evidence was found for a direct transfer of specific Campylobacter coli ribotypes from a sow to her piglets.

Pasteurella multocida isolated from turkeys during an outbreak of fowl cholera was characterized by serotype and heterogeneity of genes encoding rRNA (ribotype) to investigate the epidemiology of the organism. Isolates were collected between October 1985 and July 1986. The M9 or Clemson University fowl cholera vaccine-like strain was detected in 17% of the flocks with fowl cholera. One particular strain, isolated only from breeder flocks, was recovered from 7 of the 10 breeder flocks examined in this study. Intracompany transmission appeared to be common, implying a failure in biosecurity. Circumstantial evidence indicated that in the field, the incubation period of P multocida in a turkey flock may be between 2 to 7 weeks. Wildlife did not appear to be an important reservoir of P multocida for turkeys during this study period. Ribotyping results tended to discount several of the possible interflock transmissions, as suggested by examination of serotyping results alone; however, serotyping in combination with ribotyping proved helpful in understanding the epidemiology of P multocida in turkeys.

Random fragments of DNA were obtained from a cosmid library of Salmonella agona genomic DNA. from this library, 2 fragments were chosen and pooled to probe isolates of S typhimurium obtained during an episode of salmonellosis in a veterinary medical teaching hospital. Chromosomal DNA from the Salmonella isolates was digested with restriction endonucleases, and was probed with the random fragments of chromosomal DNA. This procedure resulted in a fingerprint pattern for each isolate. We found that the method permitted discrimination between isolates involved in the disease episode and S typhimurium obtained prior to the episode. We conclude that random fragments of chromosomal DNA are useful for fingerprinting isolates of S typhimurium. Analysis of plasmid DNA obtained from the isolates was not as useful. Some isolates found to be identical by restriction site analysis, had plasmids of different molecular weight. These results indicate that plasmid analysis may not be as useful a fingerprinting tool as previously reported.

Pigs [9+/-1] weeks old) were inoculated with Streptococcus suis type 2, pseudorabies virus (PRV) or both. For each pig of groups A, B, and C the inoculum of S suis was 10(9) colony-forming units. For each pig of groups A, B, and D the inoculum of PRV was 5 X 10(3) TCID50 of either PRV strain 4892 (group A, n = 9) or PRV isolate B (group B, n = 9). The PRV strain 4892 is a highly virulent strain; isolate B causes mild clinical signs of infection in inoculated pigs. Group-C pigs (n = 9) were given S suis alone, and group-D pigs (n = 3) were inoculated only with PRV isolate B. Clinical signs of infection and development of lesions were readily seen in pigs of groups A, B, and C. Duration and severity of clinical signs of disease and lesions were reduced in pigs of group C, compared with those of the other 2 groups. Lesions, such as polyarthritis and fibrinous pericarditis, were more abundant and acute in the groups of pigs given mixed challenge exposure, compared with pigs inoculated exclusively with S suis type 2 (group C). The group of pigs inoculated with PRV isolate B alone did not manifest clinical signs of disease or lesions. Average daily gain for group-C pigs was higher, compared with that of other groups; the difference was statistically significant at P < 0.02 and P < 0.05 for groups B and D, respectively. Spread of S suis within the tissues of infected pigs was higher in pigs of groups A and B, compared with pigs of group C. Total number of isolations was 8, 15, and 7 for groups A, B, and C, respectively; S suis was isolated from more than 1 tissue specimen from some pigs. The rate of pigs carrying S suis was 4 of 4 in group-A, 7 of 9 in group-B, and 5 of 9 in group-C pigs. It was concluded that clinical disease associated with S suis type 2 was enhanced by concomitant infection with PRV and such effect was common to both PRV strains tested, the highly virulent strain and the strain with low virulence.