K.‐H. Hinz

Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum biovar gallinarum in layers: Epidemiological investigations of a recent outbreak in Denmark

Despite the fact that no firm evidence was obtained, epidemiological investigations of a recent Danish outbreak of fowl typhoid indicated that the infection might have been introduced by contaminated crates from a German slaughterhouse. Fourteen Danish and five German isolates of Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum biovar gallinarum obtained from recent outbreaks in Denmark and Germany were characterized by phenotypic and genomic methods. Phenotypic characters, plasmid profiling, plasmid restriction profiling and ribotyping strongly indicated that Danish and German isolates were of the same clone. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of genomic DNA digested with Xba I, however, separated Danish and German isolates. This observation was confirmed when Not I was used for digestion of DNA. This enzyme also separated German isolates into two groups. However, differences observed between pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles of Danish and German isolates did not exclude the possibility of epidemiological relatedness. The use of several molecular methods is consequently highly recommended when conducting epidemiological investigations of outbreaks at the level of individual isolates.

Phenotypic characteristics of Riemerella anatipestifer and similar micro-organisms from various hosts

A total of 199 Riemerella anatipestifer (RA) and RA-like field strains isolated culturally from birds of 12 different species and from pigs were characterized using classical phenotypic and chemotaxonomic tests. The RA reference strain ATCC 11845 was included in the study. On the basis of the classical phenotypic characteristics studied and the numerical analysis of the whole-cell fatty acid patterns, the RA reference strain and 123 field isolates were assigned to the indole negative (IN) variant and 10 isolates to the indole positive (IP) variant of the species RA. The IN strains were isolated not only from poultry and free-living wild ducks, but also from pigs, guillemots and from a budgerigar and a herring gull. All the IP isolates were isolated from domestic ducks. One field strain from a chicken and one from a black-headed gull, which were distinguished from RA mainly by the negative a-glucosidase reaction and production of yellow pigment respectively, showed fatty acid methyl ester profiles chemotaxometrically different from those of RA. Another 64 field strains isolated from domesticated ducks, geese and muscovy ducks with signs and lesions very similar to those caused by RA were phenotypically and chemotaxometrically clearly different from RA and could not be classified to any of the known species. This possible bacterial pathogen is therefore given the preliminary designation of Riemerella-like (RA-L) taxon 1502.

Beitrag zur differenzierung von haemophilus‐stämmen aus hühnern*: I. mitteilung: Kulturelle und biochemische untersuchungen

Zusammenfassung Fur die serologische Untersuchung im Objekttrager‐Aggluti‐nations‐Test (OA‐Test) standen 31 Feldisolate aus Huhnern zur Verfugung, von denen 23 der Species Haemophilus para‐gallinarum angehorten. Je ein H. paragallinarum‐Stamm des Serotyps A und des Serotyps B (Page et al. 1963) sowie ein weiterer serologisch nicht eingeordneter Stamm aus Kalifornien/ USA dienten als Referenzstamme. Auserdem wurde ein H. parainfluenzae‐Stamm iin die Untersuchungen einbezogen. Bei den H. paragallinarum‐Isolaten waren im OA‐Test mit Anti‐seren von Kaninchen zweli verschiedene Serotypen zu unterscheiden. Zwischen den Serotypen traten Kreuzreaktionen auf, die durch Verdunnung oder Absorption der Antiseren ausgeschalten werden konnten. Von 23 H. paragallinarum‐lsolaten gehorten acht dem Serotyp A und 13 dem Serotyp B an. Zwei Isolate zeigten in 0.85% iger NaCl‐Losung Spontanagglutination Von acht H.‐Isolaten, die kulturell und biochemisch eine gesonderte Gruppe darstellten, war bei sieben Isolaten auch serologi...

Beitrag zur differenzierung von haemophilus‐stämmen aus hühnern

Zusammenfassung Fur die serologische Untersuchung im Objekttrager‐Aggluti‐nations‐Test (OA‐Test) standen 31 Feldisolate aus Huhnern zur Verfugung, von denen 23 der Species Haemophilus para‐gallinarum angehorten. Je ein H. paragallinarum‐Stamm des Serotyps A und des Serotyps B (Page et al. 1963) sowie ein weiterer serologisch nicht eingeordneter Stamm aus Kalifornien/ USA dienten als Referenzstamme. Auserdem wurde ein H. parainfluenzae‐Stamm iin die Untersuchungen einbezogen. Bei den H. paragallinarum‐Isolaten waren im OA‐Test mit Anti‐seren von Kaninchen zweli verschiedene Serotypen zu unterscheiden. Zwischen den Serotypen traten Kreuzreaktionen auf, die durch Verdunnung oder Absorption der Antiseren ausgeschalten werden konnten. Von 23 H. paragallinarum‐lsolaten gehorten acht dem Serotyp A und 13 dem Serotyp B an. Zwei Isolate zeigten in 0.85% iger NaCl‐Losung Spontanagglutination Von acht H.‐Isolaten, die kulturell und biochemisch eine gesonderte Gruppe darstellten, war bei sieben Isolaten auch serologi...

A comparative study of avian bordetella‐like strains, bordetella bronchiseptica, alcaligenes faecalis and other related nonfermentable bacteria 1

Cultural and biochemical characteristics, electrophoretic patterns of soluble proteins, and pathogenicity in turkey poults, of 30 avian gram-negative nonfermentable bacterial strains acquired from various geographical regions, of which 26 had been isolated from turkeys and one each from a chicken, duck, goose and sharp-tailed munia, were compared to those of Bordetella bronchiseptica, Alcaligenes faecalis, Alcaligenes denitrificans, Achromobacter xylosoxidans and Bordetella parapertussis. With the exception of two turkey isolates, the avian nonfermentable strains constituted a very homogeneous taxon with characteristics of the turkey coryza agent, which has been tentatively designated as a Bordetella-like bacterium. On the basis of the features studied it could be clearly differentiated from B. bronchiseptica, A. faecalis and the other bacteria, suggesting that the Bordetella-like bacterium occupies a distinct taxonomic position. No relevant differences were found between the strains of turkey coryza isolated in Germany and those from USA. The remaining two bacterial strains from turkeys showed the typical characteristics of B. bronchiseptica and A. faecalis respectively.

Passive immunisation of turkey poults against Tursskey coryza (Bordetellosis) by vaccination of parent breeders

Seventy turkey parent breeders were vaccinated subcutaneously at 24 and 28 weeks of age with a bacterin consisting of equal parts of a heat-inactivated suspension of the coryza producing Bordetella-like strain IPDH 591-77 and Freunds complete adjuvant. One group of 70 breeder hens served as un-vaccinated controls. Two and 3.5 months after the second vaccination eggs were collected and incubated. After hatching, 3-day-old poults from vaccinated and unvaccinated hens were challenged by direct-contact exposure to artificially infected poults. The results of clinical, cultural and histopathological examinations indicated that the majority of the progeny of vaccinated turkey breeder hens was protected against infection with the bacterial turkey coryza agent within the first 10 to 17 days after hatching. Agglutinating antibodies against the turkey coryza agent could be detected in vaccinated hens as well as in their progeny.

Identification of members of the Pasteurellaceae isolated from birds and characterization of two new taxa isolated from psittacine birds

A collection of 43 unclassified members of the Pasteurellaceae, most of which were obtained from lesions, were investigated using an extensive battery of phenotypical tests as well as by ribotyping. The isolates had been made from Anser anser forma (f) domestica (d), Agapornis fischer, Amazona spp., Ara macao, Columba livia f.d., Melanopsittacus undulatus, and Psittacus erithacus. Comparison of results with those obtained from reference strains allowed classification of 25 strains. Three strains were identified as Pasteurella dagmatis, P. sp. A, and [P.] aerogenes, respectively. Twenty strains were classified as taxon 3 and two as taxon 14. Eighteen strains, all originating from psittacine species, belonged to two new taxa, tentatively named Bisgaard taxon 33 and taxon 37. Characters obtained with taxon 33 allowed classification within the family Pasteurellaceae, while the final classification of taxon 37 remains to be investigated. The present investigation underlines the problems confronting diagnostic laboratories attempting to identify members of the family Pasteurellaceae isolated from birds.

Identification of Bordetella avium sp. nov. by the API 20 NE system

The reactions of 47 Bordetella avium strains in the API 20 NE micro-test system were compared to those of the species Bordetella bronchiseptica, Alcaligenes faecalis and Alcaligenes denitrificans. The API 20 NE microtest system allowed separation between B. avium and the other species of Gram-negative nonfermentative rods investigated.

Immunisation of turkey poults against bordetellosis with an adjuvant vaccine.

Turkey poults obtained from a commercial source were vaccinated with a water-in-mineral oil vaccine consisting of one part complete Freunds adjuvant and one part of a watery suspension of heat-inactivated Bordetella (B.) bronchiseptica-like organisms. Birds of group A received one dose of vaccine at 4 days of age, group B received one vaccination at 4 days of age and a second vaccination at 27 days of age. The vaccine was injected subcutaneously at the base of the neck. A third group (C) of poults served as a non-vaccinated control and a fourth group (D) as a negative control. At the 41st day of age birds of groups A, B and C were challenged by infraorbital inoculation of viable virulent organisms. Eight days later all birds of groups A, B, C and D were killed and examined for pathological changes and samples from the respiratory tract were cultured for B. bronchiseptica-like organisms. The vaccine produced a reversible tissue reaction of an acceptable degree at the site of inoculation in approximately 30% of the birds after the first vaccination and in most of the birds after the second vaccination. The results of these experiments show that one vaccination at 4 days of age does not give a full protection. However, after two vaccinations full protection could be observed. The vaccine was also effective in increasing the clearance rate of B. bronchiseptica-like organisms from the trachea. Results of cultural examination 8 days post-challenge revealed the presence of viable organisms in 100% of the non-vaccinated birds but only in 50% of the poults immunised once and in only 25% of the birds immunised twice with the oil adjuvant vaccine. Both vaccination and challenge induced the production of agglutinating antibodies against the heat labile antigen of the Bordetella strains used.

Über die wirkung von Haemophilus avium‐ und Haemophil us paragallinarum‐neuraminidase auf hühnerserum und andere substrate 1

Zusammenfassung Von zwei Haemophilus (H.) avium‐ und drei H. paragallinarum‐Stammen wurde die Wirkung ihrer Neuraminidase auf das Serum von 1‐tagigen, 8‐wochigen und 2‐jahrigen Huhnern, auf Humanserum sowie auf N‐Acetyl‐neuraminosyl‐D‐lactose (NL), N‐Acyl‐neuraminsaure‐glycoproteid (BSM) und Colominsaure (Col) gepruft. Auβerdem wurde der N‐Acetyl‐Neuraminat‐Gehalt (NAN) in Huhner‐ und Humanserum bestimmt. Die Enzymuntersuchungen zeigen, daβ der NAN‐Gehalt im Serum von Eintagskuken etwa gleich hoch wie im Humanserum war. Hingegen konnte im Serum von 8 Wochen bzw. 2 Jahre alten Huhnern ein 3‐bzw. 10‐fach niederiger NAN‐Gehalt festgestellt werden. Dies spricht dafur, daβ NAN‐haltige Glycoproteine bei Kuken als ein Faktor des unspezifischen Abwehrsystems Bedeutung haben konnten. Die Neuraminidasen beider Haemophilus‐Species waren durch ein unterschiedliches Aktivitatsspektrum gekennzeichnet. H. avium spaltete die α‐ketosidische Bindung des NAN in der 2 ? 3, 2 ? 6 und 2 ? 8 Position. Bei insgesamt erheblich ni...