Volume: 1, 2022
1st International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT
Abstract number: A035
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL1.A035
Published online: 26 April 2022
ICDSUPL, 1, A035 (2022)
Multifocal hepatic abscesses due to Trueperella pyogenes in lambs
Artur Ciszewski1*, Jarosz Łukasz1, Wojciech Łopuszyński2, Dorota Pietras-Ożga1, Zbigniew Grądzki1
1 Department of Epizootiology and Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Głęboka 30, 20-612 Lublin, Poland
2 Department of Pathomirphology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Głęboka 30, 20-612 Lublin, Poland
* Corresponding author: artur.ciszewski@up.lublin.pl
Abstract
Trueperella pyogenes is a ubiquitous contagion which is part of the commensal microbiota of the skin and the mucosa of the respiratory, genitourinary, and digestive systems. As an opportunistic microbe, predisposing factors allow it to induce purulent infections in various livestock species. Most reports of T. pyogenes infections in ruminants concern cases in cattle and goats, with symptoms including abscesses in the lungs, liver, brain, and mammary gland. There is little information on T. pyogenes infections in lambs involving the formation of abscesses in the liver. The aim of the study was to identify and characterize T. pyogenes coccobacilli isolated from lambs at the site of an outbreak of natural infection, with symptoms of intoxication associated with the presence of multifocal abscesses located in the liver. The study was conducted on a sheep farm with a stock foundation of 1200 females and 40 males at the age of 1–4 years. Among 800 lambs, hyperacute and acute cases of disease were noted, with symptoms of profuse, watery, pale yellow bloody diarrhoea, abdominal distension, and shortness of breath. Twenty-four lambs died within 12–24 h after the onset of clinical symptoms. Anatomopathological analysis revealed numerous greyish-yellow nodules in the liver, exudative bronchopneumonia, and enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes. Tissue samples from the parenchymal organs, intestinal contents, and exudate from the chest were taken from 12 randomly selected animals for laboratory analyses. The material was plated on Columbia Agar with 5% horse blood and incubated in aerobic and microaerophilic conditions. Biochemical characterization of isolated bacteria was performed using commercial API Coryne tests. Molecular identification of the microbes was performed by PCR using primers complementary to the pyolysin gene (plo). In addition, the microbes were identified and classified based on MALDI-ToF MS. Histopathological examination of affected organs was performed as well. Bacteria of the genus Trueperella were isolated from disease foci in the liver of dead lambs. Identification of the bacteria to the species Trueperella pyogenes was confirmed by the biochemical tests and by the molecular biology and mass spectrometry techniques. Histopathological examination revealed multifocal areas of coagulative necrosis in the liver. The results indicate that T. pyogenes can cause severe infections in lambs, with a high fatality rate. Damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa allows the bacteria to penetrate the liver and other parenchymal organs, leading to the formation of abscesses. Numerous predisposing and dietary factors play a role in these processes, including intake of high-protein concentrate feed.
How to cite
A. Ciszewski, J. Łukasz, W. Łopuszyński, D. Pietras-Ożga, Z. Grądzki, 2022. Multifocal hepatic abscesses due to Trueperella pyogenes in lambs. In: 1st International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL1/A035