Potential risk factors of swine erysipelas outbreak in Northeast Mainland China

Erysipelas with preferential brain and skin involvement in a Mediterranean bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus

Infections by Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae occur in domestic animals and cause the disease known as 'erysipelas'. The ubiquity of Erysipelothrix spp. makes infection possible in a wide range of vertebrates and invertebrates. Cetaceans are highly susceptible to erysipelas, especially those under human care. The number of cases documented in wild cetaceans is low, the pathogenesis is incompletely understood, and the full spectrum of lesions is not well defined. The possible serotypes and species of the genus that can cause disease are unknown. In October 2022, a common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus stranded in Vilassar de Mar (Catalonia) showing skin lesions consistent with 'diamond skin disease', a characteristic lesion of erysipelas shared by swine and cetaceans. Necropsy was performed following standardized procedures, and multiple samples were taken for histopathology and bacteriology. Erysipelothrix sp. grew in pure culture in many tissue samples. Genetic characterization by multi-locus sequence analysis identified the species as E. rhusiopathiae. Histologically, the main lesions were an intense suppurative vasculitis of leptomeningeal arteries and veins with abundant intramural Gram-positive bacilli and meningeal hemorrhages. Meningeal lesions were considered the cause of death. The affected skin showed moderate suppurative dermatitis. Herein we document a case of erysipelas in a Mediterranean common bottlenose dolphin with unusual lesions in the leptomeningeal vessels and marked skin tropism. To our knowledge, this is the first case of severe brain involvement in erysipelas in a cetacean. We also provide a review of available cases in wild cetaceans, to highlight the characteristics of the disease and improve future diagnosis.

An Update in Knowledge of Pigs as the Source of Zoonotic Pathogens

The available data indicate that the human world population will constantly grow in the subsequent decades. This constant increase in the number of people on the Earth will lead to growth in food demand, especially in food of high nutritional value. Therefore, it is expected that the world livestock population will also increase. Such a phenomenon enhances the risk of transmitting pathogens to humans. As pig production is one of the most significant branches of the world's livestock production, zoonoses of porcine origins seem to be of particular importance. Therefore, in this review, we aim to introduce the latest data concerning, among other things, epidemiology and available preventive measures to control the most significant porcine zoonoses of viral, bacterial, and parasitic origin.