Fibrocartilaginous Embolic Encephalopathy in a Pig.

A 1-year-old boar was investigated after presenting with acute onset collapse and obtundance. No significant gross lesions were observed at post-mortem examination. Histopathological investigation revealed a severe bilateral and multifocal necrotizing encephalopathy with an amorphous material, which obstructed neuroparenchymal vessels in the metencephalon and mesencephalon. Alcian blue staining identified the material as of cartilaginous origin and a diagnosis of cerebral fibrocartilaginous embolism was established. No gross evidence of vertebral disc disease was detected and the origin of the embolic material was not found. Although cerebral fibrocartilaginous embolism has been reported in a human, and rarely in animals, it has not been reported previously in the pig.

Small-scale pig producers and disease surveillance: key threats.

A series of meetings for small-scale pig producers raised awareness of surveillance for pig diseases in Great Britain and highlighted different types of disease threat. This focus article summarises some key messages from those meetings and two of the threats discussed.

Emergence of Klebsiella pneumoniae subspecies pneumoniae as a cause of septicaemia in pigs in England.

Between 2011 and 2014 outbreaks of septicaemia due to Klebsiella pneumoniae subspecies pneumoniae (Kpp) were diagnosed on thirteen English pig farms. The most consistent features were rapid deaths of pigs from ten-days-old to weaning, seasonal occurrence (May to September), affected farms being outdoor breeding herds and the location of all but one of the outbreaks in the East Anglia region in Eastern England. Molecular characterisation of the outbreak Kpp isolates showed that by multilocus sequencing all were sequence type 25 (ST25) of K2 capsular type with a combination of a 4.3kb plasmid (pKPMC25), three phage sequences and the rmpA virulence gene. No archived Kpp isolates of porcine origin pre-dating 2011 were identified as ST25. In 2013 there was the first detection of an outbreak Kpp isolate showing antimicrobial resistance to six antibiotics. Human infection with Kpp ST25 has not been reported in the UK.

Characterisation of porcine circovirus type 2 in porcine circovirus disease cases in England and Wales.

Confirmed cases of porcine circovirus disease (PCVD) in Great Britain have shown a steady decline since the availability of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) vaccines. However, PCVD is still occasionally diagnosed. The authors carried out a genotyping study to characterise PCV2 associated with confirmed PCVD cases in England and Wales from 2011 to January 2016 (n=65). A partial fragment of PCV2 genome encompassing ORF2 was amplified and sequenced from 45 cases of PCVD. The majority of sequences were genotype PCV2b but four sequences were PCV2d. The significance of the emergence of PCV2d in England and elsewhere in the world is not yet known, although it does appear to represent an ongoing global genotype shift.

A novel taxon within the genus Actinobacillus isolated from alpaca (Vicugna pacos) in the United Kingdom.

Members of the genus Actinobacillus comprise a diverse group of bacteria associated with mammals and birds including both pathogens and commensals. Here we describe the isolation of a previously undescribed Actinobacillus-like organism from seven epidemiologically unrelated infections of alpaca. The isolates are phenotypically and genotypically distinct from any previously described Actinobacillus species but 16S rRNA analysis unequivocally places the isolates as a novel lineage within the Actinobacillus sensu stricto. The clinical relevance of the organism requires further study however isolation in pure culture from organs of some cases suggests it may be associated with septicaemia in juvenile alpaca.

Transplacental transmission of bluetongue virus 8 in cattle, UK.

To determine whether transplacental transmission could explain overwintering of bluetongue virus in the United Kingdom, we studied calves born to dams naturally infected during pregnancy in 2007-08. Approximately 33% were infected transplacentally; some had compromised health. In all infected calves, viral load decreased after birth; no evidence of persistent infection was found.