Minimum inhibitory concentration of selected antimicrobial agents for Serpulina isolated from chickens and rheas

Retrospective analysis of necrotizing typhlitis cases associated with Brachyspira spp. in British rheas

This paper describes a retrospective analysis of necrotizing typhlitis in common rheas (Rhea americana) diagnosed in the United Kingdom by the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA). From January 2008 to January 2020, seven cases of spirochaetal typhlitis associated with Brachyspira spp. were identified using the Veterinary Investigation Diagnosis Analysis database. Gross examination was combined with selective anaerobic culture, polymerase chain reaction, and histopathology to diagnose typhlitis associated with spirochaetal infection. Whole-genome sequencing was subsequently utilized on archived isolates from six of the seven submissions, overcoming issues with traditional testing methods and yielded gains in the identification of Brachyspira to species level. Brachyspira hyodysenteriae, an organism traditionally associated with typhlitis in rheas, was isolated in three sequenced submissions. One of these also demonstrated co-infection with Brachyspira intermedia. Brachyspira suanatina, Brachyspira hampsonii, and Brachyspira alvinipulli were identified by sequencing as single infections in the remaining three animals. This report demonstrates the ability of Brachyspira species other than B. hyodysenteriae to colonize the caeca of rheas presenting with typhlitis. Additionally, the B. alvinipulli isolate harboured a tva(A) gene, indicating higher potential pleuromutilin resistance, which has not previously been described in this Brachyspira species. This study discusses the epidemiology of examined cases and examines the potential role other species may play in these outbreaks.

The Spirochete Brachyspira pilosicoli, Enteric Pathogen of Animals and Humans

Brachyspira pilosicoli is a slow-growing anaerobic spirochete that colonizes the large intestine. Colonization occurs commonly in pigs and adult chickens, causing colitis/typhlitis, diarrhea, poor growth rates, and reduced production. Colonization of humans also is common in some populations (individuals living in village and peri-urban settings in developing countries, recent immigrants from developing countries, homosexual males, and HIV-positive patients), but the spirochete rarely is investigated as a potential human enteric pathogen. In part this is due to its slow growth and specialized growth requirements, meaning that it is not detectable in human fecal samples using routine diagnostic methods. Nevertheless, it has been identified histologically attached to the colon and rectum in patients with conditions such as chronic diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and/or nonspecific abdominal discomfort, and one survey of Australian Aboriginal children showed that colonization was significantly associated with failure to thrive. B. pilosicoli has been detected in the bloodstream of elderly patients or individuals with chronic conditions such as alcoholism and malignancies. This review describes the spirochete and associated diseases. It aims to encourage clinicians and clinical microbiologists to consider B. pilosicoli in their differential diagnoses and to develop and use appropriate diagnostic protocols to identify the spirochete in clinical specimens.

Brachyspira and its role in avian intestinal spirochaetosis

The fastidious, anaerobic spirochaete Brachyspira is capable of causing enteric disease in avian, porcine and human hosts, amongst others, with a potential for zoonotic transmission. Avian intestinal spirochaetosis (AIS), the resulting disease from colonisation of the caeca and colon of poultry by Brachyspira leads to production losses, with an estimated annual cost of circa £ 18 million to the commercial layer industry in the United Kingdom. Of seven known and several proposed species of Brachyspira, three are currently considered pathogenic to poultry; B. alvinipulli, B. intermedia and B. pilosicoli. Currently, AIS is primarily prevented by strict biosecurity controls and is treated using antimicrobials, including tiamulin. Other treatment strategies have been explored, including vaccination and probiotics, but such developments have been hindered by a limited understanding of the pathobiology of Brachyspira. A lack of knowledge of the metabolic capabilities and little genomic information for Brachyspira has resulted in a limited understanding of the pathobiology. In addition to an emergence of antibiotic resistance amongst Brachyspira, bans on the prophylactic use of antimicrobials in livestock are driving an urgent requirement for alternative treatment strategies for Brachyspira-related diseases, such as AIS. Advances in the molecular biology and genomics of Brachyspira heralds the potential for the development of tools for genetic manipulation to gain an improved understanding of the pathogenesis of Brachyspira.

Species characterization and minimum inhibitory concentration patterns of Brachyspira species isolates from swine with clinical disease

Typhlocolitis and dysentery due to Brachyspira hyodysenteriae infection represent an economically important disease syndrome in growing pigs. Largely disappearing from U.S. swine herds in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Brachyspira-associated disease and bacterial isolation from swine with clinical disease has increased in the last several years, and non– B. hyodysenteriae isolates are commonly identified. Antimicrobial resistance has been demonstrated in Brachyspira spp. isolates from Europe and Asia, and may be the reason for the resurgence in U.S. herds. Seventy-nine clinical isolates identified at the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab were tested with multiple polymerase chain reaction assays to establish species identity, and evaluated for minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) using an agar dilution method against lincomycin, gentamicin, valnemulin, tiamulin, salinomycin, and carbadox. Only 38.0% of isolates could be confirmed as the known pathogens B. hyodysenteriae (30.4%) or Brachyspira pilosicoli (7.6%). Twenty of the 79 isolates (25.3%) were identified as Brachyspira murdochii, and 13.9% could not be identified to species. The MIC values were consistently high against lincomycin and moderately high against gentamicin. The remaining antimicrobials had MICs that were at the low end of the test ranges. Brachyspira murdochii and Brachyspira spp. had significantly greater MIC values against several of these drugs than other Brachyspira spp. examined. The increased incidence of these less definitively characterized Brachyspira species with increased MIC values to commonly prescribed antimicrobials may, at least in part, explain the increased prevalence and severity of this disease complex in recent years. Further research is necessary to understand these changes.

Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Brachyspira intermedia isolates from European layers

A broth microdilution method was used to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of 20 Brachyspira intermedia isolates obtained from different layer flocks in Belgium and The Netherlands between 2008 and 2010. The antimicrobial agents used were tylosin, tilmicosin, tiamulin, valnemulin, doxycycline, and lincomycin. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) distribution patterns of tylosin, tilmicosin, lincomycin, and doxycycline were bimodal, demonstrating acquired resistance against doxycycline in three strains, against the macrolides in two strains, and against lincomycin in one strain. The MICs of tiamulin and valnemulin showed a monomodal distribution, but with tailing toward the higher MIC values, possibly suggesting low-level acquired resistance in six isolates. Sequencing revealed a G1058C mutation in the 16S rRNA gene in all doxycycline-resistant strains. The strain resistant to tylosin, tilmicosin, and lincomycin had an A2058T mutation in the 23S rRNA gene.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Brachyspira intermedia and Brachyspira pilosicoli isolates from Australian chickens

Susceptibilities of predominantly Australian isolates of the pathogenic intestinal spirochaetes Brachyspira intermedia (n = 25) and Brachyspira pilosicoli (n = 17) from chickens were tested in agar dilution against four concentrations each of the antimicrobials tiamulin, lincomycin, tylosin, metronidazole, tetracycline and ampicillin. Based on available minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) breakpoint values for Brachyspira hyodysenteriae or other Gram-negative enteric veterinary pathogens, isolates of both species generally were susceptible to tiamulin, lincomycin, metronidazole and tetracycline. Although not classed as resistant, four isolates of B. intermedia had an elevated MIC range for tiamulin (1 to 4 mg/l), 11 isolates of B. intermedia and five of B. pilosicoli had an elevated MIC range for lincomycin (10 to 50 mg/l), one isolate of B. pilosicoli had an elevated MIC range for tetracycline (10 to 20 mg/l), and one isolate of B. intermedia and five of B. pilosicoli had an elevated MIC range for ampicillin (10 to 50 mg/l). A clear lack of susceptibility to tylosin (MIC > 4 mg/l) was seen in 11 isolates each of B. intermedia and B. pilosicoli, and to ampicillin (MIC > 32 mg/l) in two isolates of B. pilosicoli. These data suggest that some resistance to common antimicrobials exists among intestinal spirochetes obtained from laying hens and supports the need of MIC data for clinical isolates before any treatment is considered.

Intestinal spirochete infections of chickens: a review of disease associations, epidemiology and control

This paper presents an overview of intestinal spirochete infections of chickens. It focuses particularly on studies in Australia, where recent surveys of 136 layer and broiler breeder flocks have revealed a high rate of infection (>40%) with intestinal spirochetes. Infection was not detected in broiler flocks. Approximately 50% of isolates from infected flocks wereBrachyspira(Serpulina)intermediaorB. pilosicoli, with the other isolates beingB. innocens, B. murdochiior the proposed species ‘B. pulli’. No isolates ofB. alvinipulliwere found. Intestinal spirochetes were significantly associated with wet litter problems and/or reduced egg production. Experimental infection of point-of-lay birds with eitherB. intermediaorB. pilosicolicaused reduced egg production, and, withB. intermedia, a significant increase in fecal moisture content. Infection withB. innocenscaused no significant changes. In-water treatment of a flock with a mixed spirochete infection using lincospectin resulted in a slimy diarrhea lasting for 2–3 weeks, followed by absence of spirochetes for 3 months. Birds treated with tiamulin remained healthy, and had a reduced level of infection with intestinal spirochetes (30%) for 3 months. Trials are under way to test the efficacy of antimicrobials in point-of-lay chickens experimentally infected with eitherB. intermediaorB. pilosicoli.

Influence of in-feed zinc bacitracin and tiamulin treatment on experimental avian intestinal spirochaetosis caused by Brachyspira intermedia

Thirty individually caged layer hens were inoculated with Brachyspira intermedia, and 20 control birds remained unchallenged. Birds received a diet containing 100 parts/10(6) zinc bacitracin (ZnB), and were monitored for 10 weeks. B. intermedia was recovered sporadically from five of the inoculated birds, and there were no significant effects on body weight, faecal water or egg production. ZnB was presumed to be indirectly inhibiting spirochaete growth, and when removed from the diet, 18 of the 30 inoculated birds rapidly became culture positive. After 4 weeks, 10 of the 30 infected birds were treated with tiamulin at 25 mg/kg for 5 days, and 10 were returned to the diet containing ZnB. Birds receiving tiamulin became spirochaete negative and maintained their egg production, but re-infection occurred. The other 20 infected birds had a significant drop in egg production, but those receiving ZnB showed a reduced colonization by B. intermedia after 3 weeks.