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Isolation rates, serovars, and toxin genotypes of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide–independent Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae among pigs suffering from pleuropneumonia in Spain

Correspondence: ¹Corresponding Author: Jaime Maldonado, Diagnostic Laboratory, Laboratorios HIPRA S.A., Paratge Arbusset s/n, Girona 17170, Spain. jmg{at}hipra.com

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the etiologic agent of swine pleuropneumonia, a major production-limiting disease in the pig industry. In the current study, 2,171 lung specimens obtained from pigs housed in 870 Spanish pig farms in regions of substantial pig production were examined. Conventional microbiology, coupled with species-specific polymerase chain reaction, identified 127 biovar 2 isolates, accounting for 25.3% of all A. pleuropneumoniae (n = 502) detected. Most isolates (79%) were recovered as pure primary cultures or as the predominant bacteria from lungs exhibiting lesions typical of acute swine pleuropneumonia. Coagglutination testing identified the isolates as belonging to serovars 2 (4.7%), 4 (4.7%), 7 (68.5%), and 11 (1.6%); however, 26 isolates were nontypeable. All biovar 2 isolates showed genes of the apxII operon alone, which encodes the corresponding ApxII exotoxin, leading to a different gene pattern for isolates in serovars 2, 4, and 11 compared with those of biovar 1. From this survey, it can be concluded that A. pleuropneumoniae biovar 2 infections are common in pigs in Spain, and they may be a common cause of respiratory disease in swine.

Key Words: Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae • biovar • nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide–independent • pigs • serovar • swine pleuropneumonia