The use of cotton ropes has been recently proposed to collect oral fluids from pigs as a method to detect and monitor viral infections in swine populations, according to Dr Giordana Costa and colleagues at the University of Minnesota in the US. In a paper published recently in Journal of Swine Health and Production, they explain that its use for detection and monitoring of swine bacterial pathogens by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has not been assessed.

In this study, oral-fluid testing for diagnosis of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae was evaluated over time, utilising samples from experimentally infected pigs.

Eighty pigs were randomly assigned to experimental groups infected with A. pleuropneumoniae serovars 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 or 15 and a non-inoculated control group. Oral fluids and blood samples were collected prior to infection, one day post–infection, and weekly thereafter for seven consecutive weeks. Oral fluids were tested for A. pleuropneumoniae, Haemophilus parasuis and Streptococcus suis by specific PCR tests offered by the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

A. pleuropneumoniae was detected on days 1 and 7 post–infection, whereas H. parasuis and S. suis, normal colonisers of the swine respiratory tract, were detected at all time points.

Costa and co–authors report that their results indicate that oral-fluid testing has the potential to be a screening tool for detection of swine bacterial pathogens. Field studies are indicated to explore this potential further.

Reference

Costa G., S. Oliveira and J. Torrison. 2012. Detection of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in oral-fluid samples obtained from experimentally infected pigs. J Swine Health Prod. 20(2):78–81.

Further Reading

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Further Reading

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April 2012