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Title: PREVALENCE OF CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS INFECTION IN SWINE (POSTER PRESENTATION FOR THE 99TH ASM GEN. MEETING, MAY 3O - JUNE 3, 1999)

Author
item SHARMA, MANDEEP - USDA/ARS/NADC, AMES, IA
item ROGERS, DOUGLAS - UNIV. NEBRASKA, LINCOLN
item ANDERSEN, ARTHUR

Submitted to: American Society for Microbiology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/22/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A large number of C. trachomatis isolations from swine in the past 7 years signaled the need to determine the C. trachomatis prevalence in the swine population. Sera were collected in Nebraska from 305 adults and 258 feeder pigs under 70 lbs. To obtain a representative sample, no more than 5 sera were taken from any one herd. The sera were tested by the microimmunofluorescence test using the R27 C. trachomatis swine strain. A titer of 1:100 or higher was considered positive. Negative sera were retested with 3 other swine C. trachomatis strains--H7, R19, and R22. Over 94% of the sera were positive with the R27 strain, many with a titer of 1:400 or 1:800. Twenty-four of the 34 negative sera were positive to one or more of the other 3 chlamydial strains. No significant differences were seen between the two age groups. We conclude that most pigs are infected early in life with one or more strains of C. trachomatis, as over 98% were found to have a high titer to at least one strain. Pigs were found with titers to only one or two of the four strains, indicating that cross protection between strains does not occur.