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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #72917
Title: CLASSIFICATION OF ARCOBACTER SPECIES ISOLATED FROM ABORTED PIG FETUSES AND SOWS WITH REPRODUCTIVE PROBLEMS IN BRAZIL

Author
item DE OLIVEIRA, S - CPVDF-FEPAGRO, BRAZIL
item Baetz, Albert
item Wesley, Irene
item Harmon, Karen

Submitted to: Veterinary Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/19/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Veterinary disease diagnostic laboratories are able to identify the cause of swine abortions for about 17% of submitted aborted fetuses. This indicates that several unknown or overlooked infectious agents are likely to contribute to abortion in swine. Specialized bacterial isolation was done on 435 aborted swine fetuses submitted over 12 months from the state of Iowa. From about 49% of the aborted fetuses, various species of Arcobacter were isolated. A collaborative study with scientists in Brazil confirmed that Arcobacter spp. can be isolated from aborted swine fetuses in Brazil. These findings provide evidence that Arcobacter spp. inhabit the reproductive tract of pregnant swine and may be a major cause of reproductive loss in swine. This information can be used by veterinary diagnostic laboratories, practicing veterinarians, and swine producers to help identify the cause of swine abortion. If these findings are confirmed, there is potential for development of a biologic against Arcobacter spp. for use in swine.

Technical Abstract: Seventeen field isolates of Arcobacter species were recovered in Brazil from aborted porcine fetal livers (n=3), kidneys (n=2), and thoracic fluid (n=1). Arcobacter species were also recovered from uterine and oviductal tissues (n=5) and a placenta from sows with reproductive problems. These isolates were initially presumed to be Arcobacter cryaerophilus on the basis of aerobic growth at 30 deg C, indoxyl acetate hydrolysis, catalase and oxidase reactions, growth on MacConkey agar, sensitivity to 3.5% sodium chloride, and susceptibility to nalidixic acid (40 mg/ml). The isolates were confirmed as Arcobacter using polymerase chain reaction, and were classified as A. cryaerophilus 1A (24%), A. cryaerophilus 1B (71%), and A. butzleri (6%) using restriction fragment length polymorphism. This confirms the presence of A. cryaerophilus in swine in Brazil, and implicates Arcobacter as a cause of reproductive failure in swine.