Ersdal C, Jørgensen H J, Lie K-I
Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Sandnes, Norway
Department of Laboratory Services, Bacteriology, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway.
Vet Pathol. 2015 Jul;52(4):635-43. doi: 10.1177/0300985814556187. Epub 2014 Nov 5.
Polyarthritis caused by Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae is a relatively common infection in lambs characterized by low mortality and high morbidity. E. rhusiopathiae is a ubiquitous Gram-positive bacterium that is both a commensal and a pathogen of vertebrates. The disease was studied during an outbreak in a Norwegian Spæl sheep flock. In the acute phase, 48 of 230 (20%) lambs developed clinical signs and 4 died (1.7%). One acute case was necropsied and E. rhusiopathiae was cultured from all major organs investigated and from joints. There was a fibrinous polyarthritis, increased presence of monocytes in vessels, and necrosis of Purkinje cells. Sixteen of the diseased animals (33%) developed a chronic polyarthritis. Eight of these lambs were necropsied; all had lesions in major limb joints, and 3 of 8 also had lesions in the atlanto-occipital joint. At this stage, E. rhusiopathiae was cultured only from the joints in 7 of 8 (87.5%) lambs, but by real-time polymerase chain reaction, we showed persistence of the bacterium in several organs. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing of the bacterial isolates indicated that the same strain caused the acute and chronic disease. Five of 6 (83%) chronically affected animals had amyloidosis of the spleen, and 6 of 8 (75%) had amyloidosis of the liver. All chronically affected animals had a glomerulonephritis, and 6 of 8 (75%) had sparse degeneration in the brain. Ceruloplasmin and haptoglobin were significantly increased in the chronically diseased lambs. These results show that chronic ovine erysipelas is not restricted to joints but is a multisystemic disease.
由猪红斑丹毒丝菌引起的多关节炎是羔羊中一种相对常见的感染，其特点是死亡率低、发病率高。猪红斑丹毒丝菌是一种无处不在的革兰氏阳性菌，既是脊椎动物的共生菌，也是病原体。在挪威斯帕厄羊的一个羊群爆发疫情期间对该病进行了研究。在急性期，230只羔羊中有48只（20%）出现临床症状，4只死亡（1.7%）。对1例急性病例进行了尸检，在所有调查的主要器官和关节中均培养出猪红斑丹毒丝菌。存在纤维蛋白性多关节炎、血管中单核细胞增多以及浦肯野细胞坏死。16只患病动物（33%）发展为慢性多关节炎。对其中8只羔羊进行了尸检；所有羔羊的主要肢体关节均有病变，8只中有3只寰枕关节也有病变。在此阶段，8只羔羊中有7只（87.5%）仅从关节中培养出猪红斑丹毒丝菌，但通过实时聚合酶链反应，我们发现该细菌在多个器官中持续存在。对细菌分离株进行脉冲场凝胶电泳分型表明，同一菌株导致了急性和慢性疾病。6只（83%）慢性感染动物中有5只出现脾脏淀粉样变性，8只（75%）中有6只出现肝脏淀粉样变性。所有慢性感染动物均有肾小球肾炎，8只（75%）中有6只在大脑中有稀疏变性。慢性患病羔羊的铜蓝蛋白和触珠蛋白显著升高。这些结果表明，慢性绵羊丹毒不仅局限于关节，而是一种多系统疾病。
