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Comparison of inoculation regimes for the experimental production of swine erysipelas arthritis: I Clinical, pathological and bacteriological findings
Author(s) -
EAMENS GJ,
NICHOLLS PJ
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
australian veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1751-0813
pISSN - 0005-0423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1989.tb09810.x
Subject(s) - synovial fluid , inoculation , erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae , arthritis , serial dilution , infectious arthritis , microbiology and biotechnology , lameness , synovial membrane , medicine , horse , biology , veterinary medicine , osteoarthritis , immunology , pathology , surgery , paleontology , alternative medicine
SUMMARY The arthritic form of swine erysipelas was induced in pigs by multiple intravenous inoculation of 2 strains of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. The strains differed signficantly in their arthritogenicity but not in the number of cases of lameness induced. The use of 3 intravenous inoculations instead of 5 did not significantly affect the outcome. In a second trial, the more arthritogenic strain was injected in ten‐fold dilutions from 5 × 10 9 to 5 × 10 4 organisms. Pigs receiving the lower doses showed high variability in their arthritic responses that precluded sensitive analysis of the dose effects on the number of arthritic and infected joints. However, slaughter weights showed a significant negative correlation with dose. Mean slaughter weights in treatment groups varied by 14.6 kg per pig, an average weight loss of 3 kg per pig for each ten‐fold rise in dose of the highly virulent strain, and significantly correlated with the number of arthritic and infected joints. Culture of homogenised synovial membrane through selective horse meat‐serum broth containing kanamycin, neomycin and vancomycin identified 66% and 59% more infected joints than primary blood agar culture of synovial fluid or synovial membrane homogenate, respectively.