SWINE LISTERIOSIS

Prepared by: Angela Santos

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 Listeriosis is an infectious disease

caused by a group of bacteria called
Listeria monocytogenes. The
bacteria are found worldwide and
in New
 árunswick. They live in the
intestines of infected persons and
animals and are passed in the feces.
Etiology

 
  

is
ubiquitous in the environment.
 The main route of acquisition of
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  is through the ingestion of
contaminated food products.
 
  has been isolated from raw
meat, dairy products, vegetables, and
seafood.

 Soft cheeses, unpasteurized milk and

unpasteurised pâté are potential
dangers; however, some outbreaks
involving post-pasteurized milk have
been reported
Epidemiology
 Except for tropical countries, the
disease is world wide, affecting man,
domestic
mammals, several avian species and a
wide
range of free-living forms.
 Even though listeriosis is an uncommon
disease in swine, several cases have been
reported as encephalitis or septicemia.
Animals Affected
 Listeriosis is relatively uncommon
in pigs, with septicemia occurring
in those <1 mo old and encephalitis
in older pigs;
Transmission
 The natural reservoirs of L
monocytogenes appear to be soil and
mammalian GI tracts, both of which
contaminate vegetation.
 animals ingest or inhale the organism
and further contaminate vegetation
and soil. Animal-to-animal
transmission occurs via the fecal-oral
route
 Listeria may be shed for ϑ1 mo via
the vagina and milk.
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 The incubation period is mostly
unknown. Outbreak cases have
occurred 3-70 days after a single
exposure to an implicated product.
Median incubation is estimated to
be three weeks.
½linical Signs
 The bacterium may cause a
septicaemia and high temperature in
piglets.
 Nervous signs possibly meningitis.
 Weak piglets at birth.
 Pneumonia.
 Head on one side.
 Middle ear infections.
 fatal course of 3-4 days after onset of
signs
 Listeric abortion usually occurs in the
last trimester without premonitory
signs
 Fetuses usually die in utero, but
stillbirths and neonatal deaths occur
 ½linical signs vary according to the
function of damaged neurons but
often are unilateral and include
depression, trigeminal and facial
nerve paralysis, and less commonly,
circling.
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 Stress causing the bacteria to

invade the system.
 Heavy environmental exposure
Pathogenesis
 Listeria organisms that are ingested or
inhaled tend to cause septicemia,
abortion, and latent infection.
 Listeric encephalitis is essentially a
localized infection of the brain stem
that develops when L monocytogenes
ascends the trigeminal nerve..
uiagnosis
 Listeriosis is confirmed only by
isolation and identification of L
monocytogenes
 Specimens of choice are brain from
animals with ½NS involvement and
aborted placenta and fetus.
 Occasionally, L monocytogenes has
been isolated from spinal fluid, nasal
discharge, urine, feces, and milk of
clinically ill

 Serology is not used routinely for

diagnosis because many healthy
animals have high Listeria titers.
uifferential uiagnosis
u
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 Abortion, Abortion during
stillbirth, weakness last trimester of
gestation

  Abortion , Abortion in early

stillbirth in gestation



  tillbirth, Icterus in igs
 

 sometimes
abortion, weakness
Treatment
 L monocytogenes is susceptible to
penicillin (the drug of choice),
ceftiofur, erythromycin, and
trimethoprim/sulfonamide.
 High doses are required because of
the difficulty in achieving
minimum bactericidal
concentrations in the brain.
 Recovery depends on early,
aggressive antibiotic treatment.
 If signs of encephalitis are severe,
death usually occurs despite
treatment.
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Encephalitic form
Sheep with listeria