Brachyspira pilosicoli Isolated from Pigs in Japan

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Two of four weak β-hemolytic isolates of intestinal spirochetes isolated from pigs in Japan possessed a unique base alignment of TTTTTT on the 16S ribosomal DNA of Brachyspira pilosicoli and were identified as B. pilosicoli. The other two isolates were not identified by this technique. The identified isolates were 4.2 to 11 µm in length and 0.2 to 0.3 µm in diameter, 4 periplasmic flagella at each end were observed dominantly. The isolates were hippurate positive but indole negative. This is the first report on th e isolation of B. pilosicoli from pigs in Japan. KEY WORDS: Brachyspira pilosicoli, Japan, swine.

The Organic Acid Profiles in the Feces of Pigs at Brachyspira hyodysenteriae-or B. pilosicoli-Positive Farms

“…Pigs infected with B. pilosicoli have milder colitis and diarrhea than those infected with B. hyodysenteriae [12]. However, B. pilosicoli colonizes a broad range of vertebrates, including swine, humans, dogs, and birds [2,8,12,15,17], which makes disease control difficult. Interestingly, there are three non-pathogenic Brachyspira spp.…”