Molecular characterisation of the Australian and New Zealand livestock Chlamydia pecorum strains confirms novel but clonal ST23 in association with ovine foetal loss.

Chlamydia pecorum is a veterinary pathogen associated with abortions and perinatal mortality in sheep. Recent studies investigating foetal and perinatal lamb mortality in sheep from Australia and New Zealand identified C. pecorum clonal sequence type (ST)23 strains in aborted and stillborn lambs.

First identification and characterisation of in pigs in Hong Kong.

Swine dysentery (SD) is an important endemic disease of pigs throughout the world. The most common aetiological agent is the anaerobic intestinal spirochaete The related spirochaete causes a milder form of colitis. We report the first isolation of and from a pig farm in Hong Kong.

Correction to: The pathogenic intestinal spirochaete forms a diverse recombinant species demonstrating some local clustering of related strains and potential for zoonotic spread.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/1757-4749-5-24.].

An atypical weakly haemolytic strain of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae is avirulent and can be used to protect pigs from developing swine dysentery.

The anaerobic intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae colonises the large intestine of pigs and causes swine dysentery (SD), a severe mucohaemorrhagic colitis. SD occurs worldwide, and control is hampered by a lack of vaccines and increasing antimicrobial resistance. B.

Brachyspira catarrhinii sp. nov., an anaerobic intestinal spirochaete isolated from vervet monkeys may have been misidentified as Brachyspira aalborgi in previous studies.

To date nine species of anaerobic intestinal spirochaetes have been validly assigned to the genus Brachyspira. These include both pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. In the current study a genomic analysis of a novel spirochaete isolate was undertaken to determine whether it is a distinct species that previously has been misidentified as Brachyspira aalborgi.

Weakly haemolytic variants of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae newly emerged in Europe belong to a distinct subclade with unique genetic properties.

Brachyspira (B.) hyodysenteriae is widespread globally, and can cause mucohaemorrhagic colitis (swine dysentery, SD) with severe economic impact in infected herds. Typical strains of B.

Antimicrobial resistance in Brachyspira - An increasing problem for disease control.

Across all bacterial species the continuing reduction in susceptibility to antimicrobial agents is a critical and increasing threat for disease control. This mini-review outlines the extent of this problem amongst anaerobic intestinal spirochaetes of the genus Brachyspira, of which there are currently nine officially recognised species. These include some important pathogens that may cause colitis with diarrhoea and/or dysentery in various mammalian and avian species, but most notably in pigs and in adult chickens.

Vaccination of chickens with the 34 kDa carboxy-terminus of Bpmp72 reduces colonization with Brachyspira pilosicoli following experimental infection.

The anaerobic intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira pilosicoli colonizes the large intestine of a variety of species of mammals and birds, and may result in colitis, diarrhoea and reductions in growth rate. Naturally occurring infections in chickens are largely confined to adult laying and breeding birds. In this study, the 34 kD carboxy-terminus of the prominent outer membrane protein Bmp72 of B.

An Investigation into the Etiological Agents of Swine Dysentery in Australian Pig Herds.

Swine dysentery (SD) is a mucohemorrhagic colitis, classically seen in grower/finisher pigs and caused by infection with the anaerobic intestinal spirochete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. More recently, however, the newly described species Brachyspira hampsonii and Brachyspira suanatina have been identified as causing SD in North America and/or Europe. Furthermore, there have been occasions where strains of B.

Characterization and Recognition of Brachyspira hampsonii sp. nov., a Novel Intestinal Spirochete That Is Pathogenic to Pigs.

Swine dysentery (SD) is a mucohemorrhagic colitis of swine classically caused by infection with the intestinal spirochete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae Since around 2007, cases of SD have occurred in North America associated with a different strongly beta-hemolytic spirochete that has been molecularly and phenotypically characterized and provisionally named "Brachyspira hampsonii." Despite increasing international interest, B. hampsonii is currently not recognized as a valid species.

Brachyspira hyodysenteriae isolated from apparently healthy pig herds following an evaluation of a prototype commercial serological ELISA.

Swine dysentery (SD) is a disease mainly of grower/finisher pigs characterised by severe mucohaemorrhagic colitis. The classical aetiological agent is the anaerobic intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae, although "Brachyspira hampsonii" and Brachyspira suanatina also cause SD. This study reports on the unexpected isolation of B.

Development of a serological ELISA using a recombinant protein to identify pig herds infected with Brachyspira hyodysenteriae.

Brachyspira hyodysenteriae is an anaerobic spirochaete that can induce swine dysentery (SD), a severe mucohaemorrhagic colitis in grower and fattener pigs. The aim of this study was to develop a serological ELISA for use as a screening method to detect evidence of herd infection. Bioinformatic analysis of the complete genome sequence of strain WA1 was used to identify genes predicted to encode outer membrane proteins.

Genes encoding ten newly designated OXA-63 group class D β-lactamases identified in strains of the pathogenic intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira pilosicoli.

The anaerobic spirochaete Brachyspira pilosicoli colonizes the large intestine of birds and mammals, including human beings, and may induce colitis and diarrhoea. B. pilosicoli has a recombinant population structure, and strains show extensive genomic rearrangements and different genome sizes.

Analysis of Multiple Brachyspira hyodysenteriae Genomes Confirms That the Species Is Relatively Conserved but Has Potentially Important Strain Variation.

The intestinal spirochete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae is an important pathogen in swine, causing mucohemorrhagic colitis in a disease known as swine dysentery. Based on the detection of significant linkage disequilibrium in multilocus sequence data, the species is considered to be clonal. An analysis of the genome sequence of Western Australian B.

Emergence of species and strains: reinforcing the need for surveillance.

This short review discusses the increasing complexity that has developed around the understanding of species that infect pigs, and their ability to cause disease. It describes the recognition of new weakly haemolytic species, and the growing appreciation that and some other weakly haemolytic species may be pathogenic in pigs. It discusses swine dysentery (SD) caused by the strongly haemolytic , particularly the cyclical nature of the disease whereby it can largely disappear as a clinical problem from a farm or region, and re-emerge years later.

Absence of a set of plasmid-encoded genes is predictive of reduced pathogenic potential in Brachyspira hyodysenteriae.

The gene content of 14 strains of the intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae was compared using a DNA microarray. A consistent difference occurred in a block of four genes on the ~36 Kb plasmid, with these being present in six virulent strains and absent in eight strains with reduced pathogenic potential. These genes encoded a predicted radical S-adenosylmethionine domain protein, a glycosyl transferase group 1-like protein, an NAD dependent epimerase and a dTDP-4-dehydrorhamnose 2-5 epimerase: they may be involved in rhamnose biosynthesis and glycosylation.

Intestinal spirochaetes (Brachyspira spp.) colonizing flocks of layer and breeder chickens in Malaysia.

Avian intestinal spirochaetosis causes problems including delayed onset of lay and wet litter in adult chickens, and results from colonization of the caecae/rectum with pathogenic intestinal spirochaetes (genus Brachyspira). Because avian intestinal spirochaetosis has not previously been studied in South East Asia, this investigation was undertaken in Malaysia. Faecal samples were collected from 25 farms and a questionnaire was administered.

The pathogenic intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira pilosicoli forms a diverse recombinant species demonstrating some local clustering of related strains and potential for zoonotic spread.

Background: Brachyspira pilosicoli is an anaerobic spirochaete that can colonizes the large intestine of many host species. Infection is particularly problematic in pigs and adult poultry, causing colitis and diarrhea, but it is also known to result in clinical problems in human beings. Despite the economic importance of the spirochaete as an animal pathogen, and its potential as a zoonotic agent, it has not received extensive study.

Multiple locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) of the pathogenic intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira pilosicoli.

Brachyspira pilosicoli is an anaerobic intestinal spirochaete that colonizes the large intestine of various host species, in which it may induce diarrhoea, poor growth rates and a localized colitis known as intestinal (or colonic) spirochaetosis. The spirochaete is considered to be potentially zoonotic. The purpose of the current study was to develop a multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) method as a simple and rapid tool to investigate the molecular epidemiology of B.

Comparative genomics of Brachyspira pilosicoli strains: genome rearrangements, reductions and correlation of genetic compliment with phenotypic diversity.

Background: The anaerobic spirochaete Brachyspira pilosicoli causes enteric disease in avian, porcine and human hosts, amongst others. To date, the only available genome sequence of B. pilosicoli is that of strain 95/1000, a porcine isolate.

Dissemination of clonal groups of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae amongst pig farms in Spain, and their relationships to isolates from other countries.

Background: Swine dysentery (SD) is a widespread diarrhoeal disease of pigs caused by infection of the large intestine with the anaerobic intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. Understanding the dynamics of SD, and hence being able to develop more effective measures to counter its spread, depends on the ability to characterise B. hyodysenteriae variants and trace relationships of epidemic strains.

A high dietary concentration of inulin is necessary to reduce the incidence of swine dysentery in pigs experimentally challenged with Brachyspira hyodysenteriae.

A total of sixty surgically castrated male pigs (Large White × Landrace) weighing 31·2 (sd 4·3) kg were used in a randomised block experiment to examine the effect of added dietary inulin (0, 20, 40 and 80 g/kg) on the occurrence of swine dysentery (SD) and on fermentation characteristics in the large intestine after experimental challenge with the causative spirochaete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. The pigs were allowed to adapt to the diets for 2 weeks before each pig was challenged orally four times with a broth culture containing B. hyodysenteriae on consecutive days.

Evidence that the 36 kb plasmid of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae contributes to virulence.

Swine dysentery (SD) results from infection of the porcine large intestine with the anaerobic intestinal spirochaete Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. Recently the genome of virulent Australian B. hyodysenteriae strain WA1 was sequenced, and a 36 kilobase (kb) circular plasmid was identified.

The complete genome sequence of the pathogenic intestinal spirochete Brachyspira pilosicoli and comparison with other Brachyspira genomes.

Background: The anaerobic spirochete Brachyspira pilosicoli colonizes the large intestine of various species of birds and mammals, including humans. It causes "intestinal spirochetosis", a condition characterized by mild colitis, diarrhea and reduced growth. This study aimed to sequence and analyse the bacterial genome to investigate the genetic basis of its specialized ecology and virulence.