Brachyspira Flashcards
How would you culture brachyspira?
- Fastidious anaerobe broth
- Blood agar-> culture at 37 degrees, anaerobically for up to 2 weeks
Where does brachyspira multiply?
In the crypts of lieberkuhn, this causes erosion and necrosis of the mucosa
What samples could you take for a brachyspira diagnosis?
- Faeces
- Blood
- Deep mucosa intestianl scrape
What disease does brachyspira cause in poultry?
Avian intestinal spirochaetes
* mainly a problem in layers
What is intestinal spirochaetosis?
Bacteria intestinal disease that mainly effects the caeca and colo-rectum
When is intestinal spirochaetosis usually observed?
Often observed just as birds are about to reach peak egg productivity
* leads to reduced productivity
How do birds become infected with intestinal spirochaetosis?
Poultry become infected via the faecal-oral route
What is the clinical manifestation of avian spirochaetosis?
- Depression of egg production
- Production of faecally stained eggs
- Reduced mean egg weight
- Increased morbidity/ Mortality
- Reduced carotenoid in eggs
What is the gross pathology of avian spirochaetosis
- Caecal atrophy
- Petechial haemorrhage
- Ilium dilation
What is the histopathology of avian spirochaetes?
- Moderate lymphohistiocytic infiltration
- Mild crypt hyperplasia
- Accumulation of eosinophillic material in crypts
What brachyspira species causes swine dysentry?
Brachyspira hyodysenteriae
What does swine dysentry cause?
Severe inflammation of the large intestine with bloody mucous diarrhoea
How long does brachyspira survive in the environment?
Brachyspira can survive for up to 7 weeks in a cold moist environment
What is the usual incubation period for swine dysentry field cases?
7 to 14 days
What is the economic significance of swine dysentry?
High cost of disease is associated with low mortality and high morbidity
What are the clinical signs of swine dysentry?
- Sloppy diarrhoea
- Diarrhoea is initially light brown with a ‘jelly-like’ mucus and becomes watery
- Tail twitching
- Hollowing of the flanks with poor growth
- Partial appetite loss
- Slight skin reddening
How do pigs become infected with swine dysentry?
- Ingestion of infected faeces
- Usually spread by carrier pigs that shed the organism in faeces for long periods
- Mechanically infects faeces via equipment
- Can also be spread via flies, mice, birds and dogs
How would you diagnose brachyspira?
- Clinical signs
- PM examination
- Lab testing on faecal smears
Why is Brachyspira now more common in pigs?
- Ban on growth promoting antibiotics
- Increase in outdoor rearing
Name 5 ways you could diagnose brachyspira?
- ELISA testing
- PCR
- LAMP
- WGS
- Culture
Name 3 potential treatments for brachyspira
- Tiamulin
- Tylosin
- Tylvalosin
Name two non-pathogenic brachyspira species
- B.murdochii
- B.innocens
What three Brachyspira subtypes cause Avian Intestinal Spirochaetosis?
- B.pilosicoli
- B.intermedia
- B.alvinipulli
When is intestinal spirochaetosis usually observed?
Often observed just as eggs are about to reach peak egg productivity
This leads to reduced productivity
Poultry are infected via the faecal-oral route
