Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-ndmmz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-10T11:17:36.165Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Streptococcal infection in young pigs: IV. An outbreak of streptococcal meningitis in weaned pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

R. S. Windsor  and
S. D. Elliott
R. S. Windsor
Affiliation:
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Veterinary Investigation Centre, Madingley Road, Cambridge
S. D. Elliott
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Twenty-eight pigs died in an outbreak of streptococcal meningitis in an East Anglian herd. Most were 10–14 weeks old. The outbreak lasted from January to April and was finally controlled by antibiotic therapy. A similar number of losses had occurred in the previous year though no diagnosis had then been made.

The causal agent appeared to be a haemolytic streptococcus belonging to group D and provisionally designated Streptococcus suis type 2. It is probably identical with de Moor's group R streptococcus which causes a similar disease in the Netherlands. It is serologically distinct from Streptococcus suis type 1 which causes meningitis in piglets. Type 2 infection in pigs appears to be widespread in England and Wales and to occur in animals up to the age of at least 14 weeks.

A comparison is drawn between Str. suis meningitis in pigs and group B streptococcal meningitis in human infants.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 75 , Issue 1 , August 1975 , pp. 69 - 78
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1975

References

REFERENCES

Agarwal, K. K., Elliott, S. D. & Lachmann, P. J. (1969). Streptococcal infection in young pigs. III. The immunity of adult pigs investigated by the bactericidal test. Journal of Hygiene 67, 507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, C. J. & Babrett, F. F. (1973). Transmission of group B streptococci among parturient women and their neonates. Journal of Pediatrics 83, 919.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baker, C. J. & Barrett, F. F. (1974). Group B streptococcal infections in infants: The importance of the various serotypes. Journal of American Medical Association 230, 1158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elliott, S. D. (1960). Type and group polysaccharides of group D streptococci. Journal of Experimental Medicine 111, 621.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elliott, S. D. (1966). Streptococcal infection in young pigs. I. An immunochemical study of the causative agent (PM streptococcus). Journal of Hygiene 64, 205.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elliott, S. D., Alexander, T. J. L. & Thomas, J. H. (1966). Streptococcal infection in young pigs. II. Epidemiology and experimental production of the disease. Journal of Hygiene 64, 213.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Field, H. I., Buntain, D. & Done, J. T. (1954). Studies on piglet mortality. I. Streptococcal meningitis and arthritis. Veterinary Record 66, 653.Google Scholar
Griffith, F. (1926). Types of haemolytic streptococci in relation to scarlet fever. Journal of Hygiene 25, 385.Google ScholarPubMed
Moor, C. E. de (1963). Septicaemic infection in pigs caused by haemolytic streptococci of new Lancefield groups designated R, S and T. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 29, 272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swift, H. F., Wilson, A. T. & Lancefield, R. C. (1943). Typing group A haemolytic streptococci by M precipitin reactions in capillary pipettes. Journal of Experimental Medicine 78, 127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilkinson, H. W., Facklam, R. R. & Worthem, E. C. (1973). Distribution by serological type of group B streptococci isolated from a variety of clinical material over a 5 year period (with special reference to neonatal sepsis and meningitis). Infection and Immunity 8, 228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, D. M., Lawson, G. H. K. & Rowland, A. C. (1973). Streptococcal infection in piglets: The palatine tonsils as portals of entry for Streptococcus suis. Research in Veterinary Science 15, 352.CrossRefGoogle Scholar