Gut Microbiology III- Campylobacter and Lawsonia

Question 1

What is proliferative enteropathy?

Answer 1

Hyperplasia of intestinal crypt enterocytes with inflammation and sometimes ulceration/ haemorrhage

Question 2

What do proliferative enteropathy lesions look like?

Answer 2

Gross thickening of parts of the mucosa
bloody intestinal content

Question 3

What is lawsonia intracellularis?

Answer 3

obligate intracellular bacterium
Gram-neg, curved rod
Delta-Proteobacteria
Modified Ziehl- Neelsen
Single polar flagellum
Found in the oral cavity and intestine of pigs and horses
Cultivated only in cells

Question 4

What are the susceptible hosts of lawsonia?

Answer 4

• Pigs
• Horses
• Hamsters
• Other animals can be affected

Question 5

How is lawsonia transmissed?

Answer 5

Faecal-Oral route

Question 6

What is the pathogenesis of lawsonia?

Answer 6

• Infects epithelial cells
• enterocytes undergo mitosis and each cell retains bacteria #
• Crypts elongate
• Enterocytes become necrotic

Question 7

How is lawsonia diagnosed?

Answer 7

• based on clinical signs (acute diarrhoea with brownish/ black clotted blood

Question 8

How may you control/ prevent

Answer 8

Antibiotics in feed for several weeks during or after periods of stress and during outbreaks in order to control PPE
Avirulent live vaccine is widely available

Question 9

What are the main points surrounding campylobacter?

Answer 9

• At least 28 recognised species
• Gram negative, small bacteria
• Most species are motile
• catalse and oxidase +

Question 10

What is campylobacter fetus?

Answer 10

Cause of abortion and infertility in ruminants
subsp- veneralis, and fetus

Question 11

What are the features of campylobacter jejuni?

Answer 11

• Gram negtaive
• Microaerophillic
• thermophillic
• long, thin, spiral
• highly motile
• causes diarrhoea in humans and animals

Question 12

Where is campylobacter jejuni commonly found?

Answer 12

Commonly found in the intestine of animals
Poultry are the main source of infection for humans
can cause abortion in cattle and other species

Question 13

Where is campylobacter coli commonly found?

Answer 13

In the intestine of pigs/ in domestic and wild birds
can cause diarrhoea i piglets
ocassioal enteritis

hard to distinguish between coli and jejuni

Question 14

Which campylobacter is said to be a commensal in poultry?

Answer 14

C.jejuni,
however there is an immune response detected to C.jejuni

Question 15

What is C.jejuni infection associated with?

Answer 15

• Vibrionic hepatitis
• Hockburn
• Spotty liver disease

Question 16

What is the pathogenesis of campylobacter infection?

Answer 16

• Campylobacter colonises the enterocytes in the intestine
• Toxins are produced
• Translocation
• Cell invasion
• There is a net fluid loss

Question 17

What is GBS?

Answer 17

• Tingling sensation, Pain
• Absent reflexes
• Worsens over 1-4 weeks
• 60% cannot work
• 20% need ventilation

Question 18

What is the campylobacter virulence?

Answer 18

• Highly motile
• Chemotactic
• Maintains motility in high viscous environments
• Motility and chemotaxis are both required for efficient colonisation

Question 19

How would you diagnose campylobacter?

Answer 19

• Clinical signs of diarrhoea
• Identify isolates
• Use of conditions and medium to grow campylobacter

Question 20

What are three ways you may get campylobacter?

Answer 20

• Contaminated meat/ Produce
• Cross-Contamination at home
• Undercooking food

Question 21

What test migyt you use for campylobacter coli?

Answer 21

Hippurate test

Question 22

What are the clinical signs of campylobacter enteric disease?

Answer 22

• acute abdominal pain
• Fever, general malaise
• profuse bloody diarrhoea, rarely vomiting
• rarely bacteraemia
• mucousal damage and inflammation especially in the illeum and jejenumn

Question 23

What can you do during processing to help eliminate campylobacter?

Answer 23

• Sonostream
• scalding water temperature
• Forced air chilling
• Disinfectants i the wtaer