Water medication of a swine herd with amoxycillin.

A swine herd, consisting of 201 swine, was treated with amoxycillin. Amoxycillin was administered in the water system for 5 days, at a mean dose of 23 mg/kg body weight per day. Twice a day the water consumption was monitored, and blood samples collected from 10 randomly selected pigs. The plasma concentration of amoxycillin was measured by use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Three days after initiating amoxycillin treatment, the plasma concentration reached a constant level, at which it varied between a maximum of 1.3 micrograms/mL and a minimum of 0.5 microgram/mL. The plasma concentration was compared with a predicted curve based on pharmacokinetic variables obtained previously. The plasma concentrations were at the same level as the simulated ones. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the common respiratory pathogens Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida are about 0.1 microgram/mL. In pigs the distribution between bronchial mucosa and plasma (AUCmucosa/AUCplasma) is 0.3, which indicates a therapeutic plasma concentration of 0.3 microgram/mL. Data from the present study indicates that water medication with amoxycillin is effective as follow-up treatment.

Clinical observations, pathology, bioassay in mice and serological response at slaughter in pigs experimentally infected with Toxoplasma gondii.

Experimental infections of a total of 47 pigs with tachyzoites of the Toxoplasma gondii RH-strain, tissue cysts of the SSI-119 and R92 strains as well as oocysts of the SSI-119 strain were performed to determine the sensitivity of an indirect IgG-ELISA, using tachyzoite lysate of the RH-strain as antigen. The infections led to a dose dependent moderate clinical affection (inappetence, fever and poor general condition). Pigs infected with 10000 oocysts or with 1/2 mouse brain containing tissue cysts of the SSI-119 strain showed a significant decrease in weight gain compared to uninoculated pigs during the first 2 weeks p.i., followed, however, by compensatory growth during the next 6 weeks. At slaughter 3 to 4 months after inoculation 39/41 (95.1%) of pigs positive by bioassay in mice were seropositive in ELISA. Tissue cysts were not demonstrable by immunohistochemistry. ELISA OD-values obtained by analysis of meat juice from heart muscle and tongue (diluted 1:40) correlated strongly with OD-values by analysis of serum (diluted 1:400) (r heart juice = 0.942; r tongue juice = 0.915). Thus, meat juice samples were shown to provide a suitable alternative to serum for serological detection of Toxoplasma infection in pigs.

The time course of the specific antibody response by various ELISAs in pigs experimentally infected with Toxoplasma gondii.

With the aim of developing routine serological tests for monitoring the Toxoplasma infection status of Danish swine herds, four ELISAs based on tachyzoite antigen were set up: (1) an indirect ELISA for IgG-antibody; (2) a blocking ELISA for antibody to the membrane antigen, P30; (3) an indirect ELISA for IgM; (4) a reverse, antibody-catching IgM-ELISA. Groups of pigs (number between 6 and 10) were inoculated with tachyzoites of the RH-strain, tissue cysts of two complete strains, or oocysts in two doses (10(3) and 10(4). All inoculations were tolerated well. Irrespective of strain and stage used for inoculation, specific IgG and anti-P30 blocking activity appeared after 1-2 weeks, with OD-values stabilizing after 3-6 weeks and persisting throughout the study period (3-4 months). Specific IgM appeared quickly, but was short-lived (approximately 2 weeks). A cut-off OD-value of 0.36 for positive seroreaction in the indirect IgG-ELISA was determined on the basis of 69 sera from four herds, investigated in the dye-test (serum dilution 1:10) and ELISA. The chosen cut-off gave optimal combined sensitivity and specificity of 0.94 and 0.92, respectively, using the dye-test as a standard. Corresponding figures for the blocking ELISA were 37% inhibition as cut-off, with sensitivity and specificity of 0.94 and 0.94, respectively. Sera from a total of 87 pigs, experimentally infected with bacteria of the genera Salmonella, Yersinia or Actinobacillus and with the parasites Isospora suis, Trichinella spiralis or Ascaris suum, in no case produced cross-reactions in the IgG-ELISA. However, 3/9 pigs inoculated with 50 000 sporocysts of Sarcocystis miescheriana gave maximal OD-readings of 0.40-0.45 during the 13-15 weeks observation period. None of the sera from heterologously infected animals produced inhibitions in the anti-P30 blocking ELISA exceeding 36%.

The serological response to Salmonella serovars typhimurium and infantis in experimentally infected pigs. The time course followed with an indirect anti-LPS ELISA and bacteriological examinations.

A total of 43 pigs, inoculated with Salmonella typhimurium (O:1,4,5,12) and un-inoculated controls were followed weekly by blood and faecal samplings for up to 18 weeks post inoculation (p.i.). Three pigs, inoculated with S. infantis (O:6,7) were followed similarly for 9 weeks. All inoculated pigs, except one, were positive for Salmonella by traditional faecal culture on at least one occasion during the first week of infection, whereafter shedding of bacteria rapidly declined to < 10% of the pigs from week 7. All control pigs remained Salmonella negative by culture of faecal samples. When examined serologically in an indirect ELISA using mixed purified LPS from S. typhimurium and S. choleraesuis (O:6,7), all but one S. typhimurium infected pig and all S. infantis infected pigs produced significantly increased optical densities (OD) in the ELISA as compared to the control groups. The maximum anti-LPS response was observed at day 22, when 86% of the S. typhimurium inoculated pigs had seroconverted, while the frequency of seropositive pigs peaked at days 30 (92%) and 37 p.i. (92%). Large variations were found among pigs concerning time of seroconversion (between 6 and 37 days p.i.), maximum OD-level attained (between 8 and 130% of a reference serum) and persistence of reaction. At the time of necropsy, 18 weeks p.i., 67% of the S. typhimurium inoculated pigs were found seropositive, while 100% of the S. infantis inoculated pigs were found seropositive at necropsy, 9 weeks p.i. Salmonella in internal organs were detected at necropsy in 4/22 of the S. typhimurium inoculated pigs with persistent anti-LPS reaction and all 3 S. infantis inoculated pigs but in none of the antibody-negative pigs. The ELISA is therefore suitable for screening for the presence of infection with S. typhimurium or S. infantis on a herd basis. Its suitability for other serotypes of Salmonella will require further testing.