Antimicrobial resistance of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolated from swine.

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the antimicrobial resistance rates and the trend in resistance of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolated from pigs in Italy from 1994 to 2009. A total of 992 A. pleuropneumoniae isolates were tested for their susceptibility to a panel of antimicrobial agents in a disk diffusion method.

Immunohistochemical detection of aetiological agents of proliferative and necrotizing pneumonia in italian pigs.

Proliferative and necrotizing pneumonia (PNP) is a form of interstitial pneumonia that occurs in weaning and post-weaning pigs. PNP is characterized by hypertrophy and hyperplasia of type II pneumocytes and coagulative necrosis and granular debris within alveolar spaces. Canadian and European studies suggest that the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) are the main causes of the disease, but Aujezsky's disease virus (ADV) and swine influenza virus (SIV) have also been considered as potential aetiological agents.

Application of a protocol for the diagnosis of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome in Italy.

Samples of superficial inguinal and bronchial lymph nodes, ileum, tonsil and lung were taken from three to five pigs on each of 61 farms with a clinical history of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). The samples were examined histologically and by immunohistochemistry for porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2). PMWS was diagnosed in two stages: first, an evaluation of the haematoxylin and eosin-stained sections that identified the cases in which the characteristic PCV-2 cytoplasmic inclusion bodies were apparent, and secondly, a conclusive step in which immunohistochemistry was applied to confirm PMWS in the cases in which there were positive immunohistochemical results that coincided with lesions indicative of PMWS in at least one of the lymphoid and/or lung tissues.

Longitudinal study of Salmonella infection in Italian farrow-to-finish swine herds.

A longitudinal study of Salmonella enterica infection was carried out in five Italian farrow-to-finish swine herds previously known to be infected by Salmonella. Five litters were randomly selected from each herd and in each litter six piglets were randomly selected and individually identified. Thus, the study included 30 pigs from each farm.