The Intestinal Flora of Pigs

Types and Distribution of Anaerobic Bacteria in the Large Intestine of Pigs

An examination was made of various sites along the length of the swine large intestine, using strictly anaerobic culture methods. Sites were separated by differential washing into fractions described as lumenal content, lumenal surface layer, and intestinal wall tissue. Direct microscopic clump counts averaged 13.3 × 10 10 organisms per g (dry weight) of material in the lumenal content, 14.0 × 10 10 in the surface layer, and 5.1 × 10 10 in the intestinal wall tissue. Both direct microscopic counts and viable culture counts were higher from the lumenal content and surface layer than from the intestinal tissue at all sites sampled in the intestine. Cultural counts averaged 56.2% of the direct microscopic counts in lumenal content and surface layer and 20.2% in intestinal tissue. Over 90% of the bacteria isolated were gram positive and consisted mainly of gram-positive cocci, lactobacilli, eubacteria, and clostridia. Of 192 isolates recovered, only 124 could be assigned to recognized species.

Arthritis associated with Yersinia enterocolitica infections

74 patients, 42 females, 32 men-all over 10 years of age, with acute arthritis associated with infection with Yersinia enterocolitica are presented. The diagnosis was based on serological evidence in all cases (an agglutinin titre of 320 or more), and in 18 of the cases also a positive culture of Y. ent. from faeces. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was very high in most cases. Acute enteritis, sometimes with abdominal pain, preceded the acute arthritis with a latent period of about 1-14 days. In 50% of the cases only one or two joints were involved, most often large joints such as knee, ankle and wrist. The symptoms were long-standing (2 months or longer) in two-thirds of the cases. Arthritis in connection with yersiniosis must therefore be considered a serious complication to an otherwise rather benign infection.