Swine Erysipelas; It’s Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Treatment and Control and Preventive Measures, Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Erysipelas is an infectious disease seen mainly in growing pigs and characterized clinically by fever, arthritis, skin lesions and sudden death. The disease may be acute, subacute, or chronic. Swine erysipelas is a disease caused by a specific micro organ Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae whic h is a zoonotic ubiquitous gram-positive bacterium that causes erysipelas in swine, mammals, birds and erysipeloid in humans. People in contact with animals, animal products or animal wastes are at greatest risk. The acute form of swine erysipelas may have been confused for other diseases in pigs which are characterized by acute symptoms such as sudden death (for example, African swine fever). It can be diagnosed by its clinical signs, necropsy findings, bacteriology, antimicrobial response, molecular and serological examinations. It is recommended to increase awareness of the disease among animal and human practitioners as treatment is easy and available and vaccination is possible. However, the disease is still unknown to local veterinarians, clinical doctors, meat inspectors, butchers and laboratory personnel. Proper hygiene, regular pork inspection, use of protective wear among people working/ in contact with animals should be promoted. The disease causes high economic loss in pig rearing areas and influences the public health being a severe zoonotic disease. So the objective of this review is to create a better understanding of the disease for proper control and prevention of the disease

Pathology, microbiology, and genetic diversity associated with Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae and novel Erysipelothrix spp. infections in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis)

“…One Erysipelothrix sp.-infected SSO had a focal discrete, rhomboidal expanse of mucosal infarction with congested borders on the left maxillary buccal mucosa ( Figure 5A ). Although not definitive, this lesion was grossly and microscopically compatible with the “diamond skin disease” pattern of dermal necrosis described from pigs, cetaceans, dogs, birds, and other animals with erysipelas ( Grieco and Sheldon, 1970 ; Melero et al, 2011 ; Marshall et al, 2019 ; Habte et al, 2021 ; Malik et al, 2021 ). Due to the extremely dense pelage of sea otters (this species has the densest fur of all mammals; ( Williams et al, 1992 )), additional rhomboidal lesions could have been present on the skin of one or more Erysipelothrix -infected SSOs in the current study but would be easily missed at necropsy.…”

“…Peracute sepsis was considered the primary cause of death for that case; observed diffuse brain swelling and multifocal herniation ( Figure 4A ) was attributed to severe brain congestion and perivascular to diffuse edema, likely secondary to a sepsis-associated vasculopathy. Interestingly, pigs that die from acute erysipelas commonly present as sudden deaths without significant gross lesions ( Habte et al, 2021 ); this case may represent a similar clinical pattern.…”