Porcine mononuclear phagocyte subpopulations in the lung,blood and bone marrow: dynamics during inflammation induced by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

Mononuclear phagocytes (MP) are cells of nonspecific immunity, playing an essential role in defense against bacterial pathogens. Although various MP subpopulations have been described in the pig, relations among these populations in vivo are unknown to date. The present study was aimed at describing porcine MP subpopulations infiltrating inflamed tissue of pigs under in vivo conditions. Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) infection was used to induce an inflammatory response. CD172α, CD14, CD163, MHCII and CD203α cell surface molecules were used to identify MP by flow cytometry. Changes in MP subpopulations in the peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) compartments along with the analysis of MP appearing in the inflamed lungs were assessed to elucidate the possible origin and maturation stages of the infiltrating MP. The MP population migrating to the inflamed lungs was phenotype CD14⁺ CD163⁺ CD203α^+/− MHCII^+/−. Concomitantly, after APP infection there was an increase in the PB MP CD14⁺ CD163⁺ CD203α⁻ MHC II⁻ population, suggesting that these cells give rise to inflammatory monocytes/macrophages. The CD203α and MHCII molecules appear on these cells after leaving the PB. In healthy animals, the BM MP precursors were represented by CD14⁻ CD163⁻ cells maturing directly into CD14⁺ CD163⁻ that were then released into the PB. After infection, an altered maturation pathway of MP precursors appeared, represented by CD14⁻ CD163⁻ CD203α⁻ MHCII⁻ MP directly switching into CD14⁺ CD163⁺ CD203α⁻ MHCII⁻ MP. In conclusion, two different MP maturation pathways were suggested in pigs. The use of these pathways differs under inflammatory and noninflammatory conditions.     

3株猪胸膜肺炎放线杆菌山东株的分离及鉴定

从山东省几个猪场的疑似猪传染性胸膜肺炎病例中,采集病猪的肺脏、气管和扁桃体等病变组织,经细菌分离得到3个分离株BZ1株、BZ2株、BZ3株。经过革兰氏染色镜检、菌落形态观察、培养特性试验、生化试验、药敏试验、动物感染试验等一系列细菌学鉴定方法,可将3株分离菌鉴定为猪胸膜肺炎放线杆菌。     

The genetic organization of the capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis region of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 15

Nucleotide sequence determination and analysis of the cps gene involved in the capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 15 revealed the presence of three open reading frames, designated as cps15ABC genes. At the protein level, Cps15A and Cps15B showed considerably high homology to CpsA (67.0 to 68.7%) and CpsB (31.7 to 36.8%), respectively, of A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 4 and 12, revealing the common genetic organization of the cps among serotypes 1, 4, 12 and 15. However, Cps15C showed no homology to any proteins of A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes, indicating that cps15C may be specific to serotype 15. This study will provide the basic molecular knowledge necessary for the development of diagnostics and a vaccine for A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 15.     

Evaluation of a single dose versus a divided dose regimen of danofloxacin in treatment of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in pigs

A single versus a divided dose regimen of danofloxacin was evaluated in treatment of porcine Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection using clinical observations combined with biochemical infection markers: C-reactive protein, zinc and ascorbic acid. Twenty hours after experimental infection, the 18 pigs received danofloxacin intravenously as a single dose of 2.5mg/kg or four doses of 0.6 mg/kg administered at 24h intervals. These dosage regimens resulted in similar AUCs of the plasma danofloxacin vs time curve. The maximum concentration was 3.5-fold higher using the single dose regimen, while the time with concentrations above the MIC was 2.5-fold longer using the fractionated regimen. Using the single dose regimen, temperature was normalised 32 h post-infection. In contrast, normalisation was delayed until 44 h post-infection using four low doses and a relapse with elevated temperatures at 52 and 68 h was observed. No other significant differences between the treatments were found, neither regarding clinical, haematological nor biochemical observations. The use of the more convenient single dose regimen was appropriate, as it was at least equivalent to the fractionated regimen.     

新疆不同动物源大肠埃希菌耐药性比较

为了比较新疆不同动物源大肠埃希菌对临床常用抗菌药物的耐药情况,从猪场、羊场和牛场分别分离猪源大肠埃希菌454株、羊源大肠埃希菌638株和牛源大肠埃希菌89株,用微量肉汤法对上述细菌进行临床常用β-内酰胺类、氟喹诺酮类、氨基糖苷类和酰胺醇类抗菌药物最小抑菌浓度测定。结果表面,猪源大肠埃希菌对氨苄西林(67.0%)和阿莫西林/克拉维酸(63.7%)耐药率较高,其他药物耐药率在10.4%~41.2%之间;羊源大肠埃希菌对安普霉素(33.9%)和阿莫西林/克拉维酸(21.2%)耐药率较高,其他药物耐药率在3.1%~15.6%之间;牛源大肠埃希菌对氨苄西林(24.4%)和阿莫西林/克拉维酸(8.9%)耐药率较高,其他药物耐药率在1.1%~6.7%之间。多药耐药结果,猪源大肠埃希菌以2耐~5耐为主,羊源大肠埃希菌以0耐~2耐为主,牛源大肠埃希菌以0耐~1耐为主。新疆猪源大肠埃希菌对临床常用抗菌药物耐药情况最严重,羊源菌次之,牛源菌最轻;猪源大肠埃希菌多药耐药现象严重。     

猪传染性胸膜肺炎放线杆菌PCR检测试剂盒的研制

根据GenBank中猪传染性胸膜肺炎放线杆菌apxⅣA基因序列,设计了1对引物,通过对PCR反应条件进行优化,研制了检测猪传染性胸膜肺炎放线杆菌的PCR试剂盒。该试剂盒扩增的阳性条带为600 bp,特异性与敏感性结果显示,该PCR检测试剂盒的最低核酸检测量为50 CFU/mL,而对金黄色葡萄球菌、链球菌、多杀性巴氏杆菌、鼠伤寒沙门氏菌、副猪嗜血杆菌、大肠杆菌的扩增结果均为阴性。-20℃至少可保存12个月,且重复性良好。应用该PCR试剂盒对41份临床样本进行了检测,其PCR检测结果与细菌学检测结果相一致。结果表明,猪传染性胸膜肺炎放线杆菌PCR检测试剂盒能够对APP临床样品进行快捷、灵敏、准确的检测。     

Anthelmintic Activity of Extracts of Spondias mombin Against Gastrointestinal Nematodes of Sheep: Studies In Vitro and In Vivo

This study was carried out to validate the efficacy of Spondias mombin, used locally as an anthelmintic, and to standardize the effective dose of the plant extract required for worm control in livestock. In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to determine the direct anthelmintic effect of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of S. mombin towards different ovine gastrointestinal nematodes. A larval development assay (LDA) was used to investigate the in vitro effect of extracts on strongyle larvae. Another study was conducted in vivo to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the extracts administered orally at dose rates of 125, 250, 500 mg/kg to sheep naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes. Twenty sheep were selected on the basis of positive faecal egg counts (750 epg). The sheep were allocated randomly to a non-medicated control group (A) or to groups given 125 mg/kg (B), 250 mg/kg (C) or 500 mg/kg (D) of extract, respectively. Sheep in groups B-D were given extracts orally on two days. Individual faecal egg counts were performed on days 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12. The presence of S. mombin extracts in in vitro cultures of larvae decreased the survival of L3 larvae. The LC50 of the aqueous extract of S. mombin was 0.907 mg/ml, while the LC50 of the ethanolic extract was 0.456 mg/ml. This difference in LC50 was statistically significant (p > 0.05). The mean percentage faecal egg reduction of sheep drenched with 500 mg/kg S. mombin extracts was 15.0%, 27.5%, 65.0%, 65.0%, 100.0% against Haenmonchus spp., Trichostrongylus spp., Oesophagostomunm spp., Strongyloides spp. and Trichuris spp. respectively, on day 12. Extracts of S. mombin could find application in the control of helminths in livestock.     

The genetic organization of the capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis region of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 14

The genetic organization of the gene involved in the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) biosynthesis of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 14 has been determined. The DNA region for the CPS biosynthesis of serotype 14 (cps14) comprised 9 open reading frames, designated as cps14AB₁B₂B₃CDEFG genes, encoding Cps14A to Cps14G protein, respectively. Cps14A was similar to CpsA of A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 4 and 12; the Cps14B₁ and Cps14B₂ were similar to CpsB of A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 4 and 12, suggesting that CPS structure of A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 14 would belong to Group I including A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 4, 12 and 15. Surprisingly, the overall nucleotide sequence, deduced amino acid sequence, and the genetic organization of the cps14 were nearly identical to those of Actinobacillus suis. This study will provide the molecular basic knowledge for development of diagnostics and vaccine of A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 14.     

Elucidating the role of ApxI in hemolysis and cellular damage by using a novel apxIA mutant of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 10

Exotoxins produced by Actinobacillus (A.) pleuropneumoniae (Apx) play major roles in the pathogenesis of pleuropneumonia in swine. This study investigated the role of ApxI in hemolysis and cellular damage using a novel apxIA mutant, ApxIA336, which was developed from the parental strain A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 10 that produces only ApxI in vitro. The genotype of ApxIA336 was confirmed by PCR, Southern blotting, and gene sequencing. Exotoxin preparation derived from ApxIA336 was analyzed for its bioactivity towards porcine erythrocytes and alveolar macrophages. Analysis results indicated that ApxIA336 contained a kanamycin-resistant cassette inserted immediately after 1005 bp of the apxIA gene. Phenotype analysis of ApxIA336 revealed no difference in the growth rate as compared to the parental strain. Meanwhile, ApxI production was abolished in the bacterial culture supernatant, i.e. exotoxin preparation. The inability of ApxIA336 to produce ApxI corresponded to the loss of hemolytic and cytotoxic bioactivity in exotoxin preparation, as demonstrated by hemolysis, lactate dehydrogenase release, mitochondrial activity, and apoptosis assays. Additionally, the virulence of ApxIA336 appeared to be attenuated by 15-fold in BALB/c mice. Collectively, ApxI, but not other components in the exotoxin preparation of A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 10, was responsible for the hemolytic and cytotoxic effects on porcine erythrocytes and alveolar macrophages.     

Enhancement of protective immune responses by oral vaccination with Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing recombinant Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ApxIA or ApxIIA in mice

We previously induced protective immune response by oral immunization with yeast expressing the ApxIIA antigen. The ApxI antigen is also an important factor in the protection against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 5 infection; therefore, the protective immunity in mice following oral immunization with Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing either ApxIA (group C) or ApxIIA (group D) alone or both (group E) was compared with that in two control groups (group A and B). The immunogenicity of the rApxIA antigen derived from the yeast was confirmed by a high survival rate and an ApxIA-specific IgG antibody response (p < 0.01). The highest systemic (IgG) and local (IgA) humoral immune responses to ApxIA and ApxIIA were detected in group E after the third immunization (p < 0.05). The levels of IL-1β and IL-6 after challenge with an A. pleuropneumoniae field isolate did not change significantly in the vaccinated groups. The level of TNF-α increased in a time-dependent manner in group E but was not significantly different after the challenge. After the challenge, the mice in group E had a significantly lower infectious burden and a higher level of protection than the mice in the other groups (p < 0.05). The survival rate in each group was closely correlated to the immune response and histopathological observations in the lung following the challenge. These results suggested that immunity to the ApxIA antigen is required for optimal protection.     

Evaluation of a single dose versus a divided dose regimen of amoxycillin in treatment of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in pigs

The theory of a time-dependent effect of amoxycillin was examined in a model of porcine Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (Ap)-infection using clinically relevant dosage regimens. Twenty hours after infection of fourteen pigs, when clinical signs of pneumonia were present, one group of pigs received a single dose of amoxycillin (20 mg/kg, i.m.), whereas another group received four doses of 5 mg/kg injected at 8-h intervals. A similar AUC of the plasma amoxycillin concentration versus time curve was obtained in the two groups, whereas the maximum concentration was threefold higher using the single high dose. Plasma amoxycillin was above the MIC for twice as long using the fractionated dosage scheme. The condition of the animals was evaluated by clinical and haematological observations combined with quantification of biochemical infection markers: C-reactive protein, zinc and ascorbic acid. Within 48 h of treatment, the pigs in both treatment groups recovered clinically. No significant differences in the time-course of clinical observations or plasma concentrations of the biomarkers of infection were observed between the two treatments. In conclusion, the efficacy of these two dosage regimens of amoxycillin was not significantly different in treatment of acute Ap-infection in pigs.     

Generation of transgenic corn-derived Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ApxIIA fused with the cholera toxin B subunit as a vaccine candidate

Corn, one of the most important forage crops worldwide, has proven to be a useful expression vehicle due to the availability of established transformation procedures for this well-studied plant. The exotoxin Apx, a major virulence factor, is recognized as a common antigen of Actinobacillus (A.) pleuropneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia. In this study, a cholera toxin B (CTB)-ApxIIA#5 fusion protein and full-size ApxIIA expressed in corn seed, as a subunit vaccine candidate, were observed to induce Apx-specific immune responses in mice. These results suggest that transgenic corn-derived ApxIIA and CTB-ApxIIA#5 proteins are potential vaccine candidates against A. pleuropneumoniae infection.     

Antimicrobial resistance in Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis isolates of swine origin from eighteen provinces in China

Enterococcus faecium and E. faecalis are important human pathogens and also served as sentinel organisms for monitoring systems of antimicrobial resistance in both animals and humans. In this study, 106 E. faecium and 56 E. faecalis isolates were collected from 61 pig farms in 18 proveinces of China. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined for 9 clinically important antibiotics and 3 antimicrobial growth promoters. The Enterococcus isolates showed high prevalence of resistance to medically important antibiotics, such as ampicillin (50.9% for E. faecium and 19.6% for E. faecalis), chloramphenicol (24.5% for E. faecium and 41.1% for E. faecalis), erythromycin (83.0% for E. faecium and 91.1% for E. faecalis), tetracycline (79.2% for E. faecium and 100% for E. faecalis), quinupristin/dalfopristin (26.4% for E. faecium) and ciprofloxacin (73.6% for E. faecium and 66.1% for E. faecalis). Resistance to tigecycline, linezolid and vancomycin was very rare. The resistance status of three representative in-feed antibiotics bacitracin, nosiheptide and enramycin was firstly investigated with Enterococcus as indicator bacteria. The Enterococcus isolates showed extremely high frequency of bacitracin resistance (96.7% for E. faecium and 87.8% for E. faecalis), while no nosiheptide and enramycin resistance was observed. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis showed that a majority of E. faecium and E. faecalis strains showed unrelated profiles, indicating high heterogeneity among the Enterococcus isolates. Our study provided basic data on the antimicrobial resistance of E. faecium and E. faecalis isolates.     

中草药提取物对多重耐药猪胸膜肺炎放线杆菌体外抑菌试验及抑菌效果研究

为筛选对猪接触传染性胸膜肺炎放线杆菌多重耐药菌株有较好抑菌作用的中草药。挑选了穿心莲、黄芩、苦参、白头翁、芒果叶和百里香6种中草药,采用水提取和65%乙醇提取相结合的方法制备单剂中草药的提取液,然后浓缩至含原生药物1g/mL。采用二倍稀释法分别测定这6种中草药对传染性胸膜肺炎放线杆菌多重耐药菌株的最小抑菌浓度(minimal inhibition concentration, MIC)和最小杀菌浓度(minimal bacteriocidal concentration, MBC)。以筛选出体外抑菌效果较好的中草药。结果表明,胸膜肺炎放线杆菌多重耐药菌株抑菌圈最大的是百里香和芒果叶,其抑菌圈直径分别为40 mm和35 mm.,其次为白头翁、黄芩、穿心莲和苦参,其抑菌圈直径在8~16 mm。百里香、芒果叶、白头翁、黄芩、穿心莲和苦参的最小抑菌浓度分别为0.198 mg/mL、0.198 mg/mL、0.396 mg/mL、0.396 mg/mL、25 mg/mL和25 mg/mL。百里香、芒果叶、白头翁、黄芩、穿心莲和苦参的最小杀菌浓度分别为0.396 mg/mL、0.396 mg/mL、0.792 mg/mL、0.792 mg/mL、50 mg/mL和50 mg/mL。说明除穿心莲和苦参外,其余4种中草药对胸膜肺炎放线杆菌多重耐药菌株有很多好的抑菌和杀菌效果,其中百里香和芒果叶效果最佳。本结果为由传染性胸膜肺炎放线杆菌多重耐药菌引起的猪接触传染性胸膜肺炎的防控和治疗奠定了基础,为开发中草药相关无抗产品以及防治由多重耐药菌引起的猪接触传染性胸膜肺炎提供了参考。     

Putative biomarkers for evaluating antibiotic treatment: an experimental model of porcine Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection

Biomarkers of infection were screened for their possible role as evaluators of antibiotic treatment in an aerosol infection model of porcine pneumonia caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (Ap). Following infection of 12 pigs, clinical signs of pneumonia developed within 20 h, whereafter the animals received a single dose of either danofloxacin (2.5mg/kg) or tiamulin (10 mg/kg). To test the discriminative properties of the biomarkers, the dosage regimens were designed with an expected difference in therapeutic efficacy in favour of danofloxacin. Accordingly, the danofloxacin-treated pigs recovered clinically within 24h after treatment, whereas tiamulin-treated animals remained clinically ill until the end of the study, 48 h after treatment. A similar picture was seen for the biomarkers of infection. During the infection period, plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 and haptoglobin increased, whereas plasma zinc, ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol decreased. In the danofloxacin-treated animals, CRP, interleukin-6, zinc, ascorbic acid and alpha-tocopherol reverted significantly towards normalisation within 24h of treatment. In contrast, signs of normalisation were absent (CRP, zinc and ascorbic acid) or less marked (interleukin-6 and alpha-tocopherol) in the tiamulin-treated animals. Plasma haptoglobin remained elevated throughout the study in both groups. This indicates that CRP, zinc, ascorbic acid and to a lesser extent interleukin-6 and alpha-tocopherol might be used to evaluate antibiotic treatment of acute Ap-infection in pigs. The present model provides a valuable tool in the evaluation of antibiotic treatments, offering the advantage of clinical and pathological examinations combined with the use of biochemical infection markers.     

中草药对致病性维氏气单胞菌体外抑菌活性及 最优组方研究

本研究旨在寻找防治鲟鱼病害的有效中草药药物。用水煎煮法提取天然物中草药有效成分,采用试管法测定各提取物对维氏气单胞菌的最低抑菌浓度,最后通过正交试验确定了4种中草药提取物体外抑菌的最优组方。33种中草药提取物对维氏气单胞菌抑菌效果最好的是五倍子,其MIC为0.97 μg/mL;其次是地榆和黄芩,两者MIC均为1.95 μg/mL;马齿苋和苦参抑菌效果最差,MIC为250 μg/mL。选取五倍子、地榆、地锦草和连翘进行正交试验,其最优组方为1∶2∶4∶8,该组方对维氏气单胞菌有明显的抑制作用,为进一步应用中草药防治水产养殖病害提供依据。