Estudo das artrites bacterianas do suíno

Abstract

In an investigation of the bacteria involved in infectious arthritis of swine,107 arthritic animals one to 5 years of age from 33 farms in Minas Gerais, São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro States of Brazil were examined. Synovial fluid obtained from these pigs,in addition to tissues collected from 9 animals at necropsy, were cultured for bacteria using serum of blood enriched, and selective media. Culturing of the synovial fluid of 86 pigs yielded pure cultures of a single bacterial species in 78 instances, 2 bacterial species, in 4 and 4 bacterial species in 4 others. The distribution was as follows: Streptococcus (groups C,E,N,D and 3 strains that did not react to the Lancefield preciptation test, but whose caracteristics were identical to group R), 47.78%; Corynebacterium phyogenes, 21.11%; Staphylococcus (S.aureus and S.epidermidis), 11.11%; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 6.67%; Pasteurella multocida, 4.44%; Escherichia coli, 1.11%; and other bacteria, 7.78%. These results regarding the bacteria incriminated as etiologic agentsof porcine arthiritis are in agreement with other reports found in the world literature. In addition to arthritis, the pigs in this survey had lesions indicative of septcemia, meningoencephalitis, endocarditis, pneumonia and omphalitis. No bacteria were obtained in cultures of 21 arthritic swine and the possibility of non-bacterial or non- infectious etiology was suggested for these cases. The incidence of Streptococcus species in the synovial fluid of pigs less than 60 days of age was significantly higher than in older swine in which Corynebacterium pyogenes was the organism most frequently isolated.The predominance of young pigs and the presence of purulent exudates in the arthritic joints examined in this survey indicated that Streptococcus species and the pyogenic bacteria, rather than Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, are the primary etiologic factors in porcine arthiritis in Brazil. This is in agreement with studies conducted elsewhere.