Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T08:48:59.561Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Experimental observations on the pathogenesis of necrobacillosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

G. R. Smith
Affiliation:
Institute of Zoology, The Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
L. M. Wallace
Affiliation:
Institute of Zoology, The Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
D. E. Noakes
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery and Obstetrics, Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hertfordshire AL9 7TA, UK.
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Earlier studies showed that the minimum infective dose (>106 organisms) of a virulent strain of Fusobacterium necrophorum could be greatly reduced by suspending the fusobacteria in sub-lethal doses of cultures of other bacteria such as Escherichia coli before inoculating mice subcutaneously.

In the present study the infective dose of the same strain of F. necrophorum was reduced by a factor of >103 by suspending the fusobacteria in sub-lethal doses of 5% homogenate of gaur or wallaby faeces. Sterile faecal filtrate had no such effect. The sites of low grade infection produced by the prior subcutaneous injection of E. coli culture or gaur faecal suspension were susceptible to superinfection by doses of F. necrophorum far below those required to infect normal tissue.

This work helps to explain the production of necrobacillosis by the faecal contamination of small wounds. It proved impossible, however, to produce necrobacillosis in mice by the subcutaneous injection of faecal suspensions from 33 farm cattle. This suggests that the proportion of cattle with virulent F. necrophorum in their faeces is low.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

References

REFERENCES

1.Smith, GR, Turner, A, Cinderey, R.Susceptibility of wallabies to Fusobacterium necrophorum. Vet Rec. 1986; 118: 691–3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Beerens, H, Fievez, L, Wattre, P.Observations concernant 7 souches appartenant aux espèces Sphaerophorus necrophorus Sphaerophorus fundutiformis, Sphaerophorus pseudonecrophorus. Annls Inst Pasteur Lille 1971; 121; 3741.Google ScholarPubMed
3.Hofstad, T.Fusobacterium necrophorum-pathogenic organism? J Med Microbiol 1985; 20: vii.Google Scholar
4.Shinjo, T, Miyazato, S, Kaneuchi, C, Mitsuoka, T.Physiological and biochemical characteristics of Fusobacterium necrophorum biovar A and biovar B strains and their deoxyribonucleic acid homology. Jap J Vet Sci 1981; 43: 233–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Berg, JN. and Scanlan, CM.Studies of Fusobacterium necrophorum, from bovine hepatic abscesses: biotypes, quantitation, virulence, and antibiotic susceptibility. Am J Vet Res 1982; 43: 1580–6.Google ScholarPubMed
6.Smith, GR, Till, D, Wallace, LM, Noakes, DE.Enhancement of the infectivity of Fusobacterium necrophorum by other bacteria. Epidemiol Infect 1989; 102: 447–58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Smith, GR, Oliphant, JC, Parsons, R.The pathogenic properties of Fusobacterium and Bacteroides species from wallabies and other sources. J Hyg 1984; 92: 165–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Deacon, AG, Duerden, BI, Holbrook, WP.Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of metabolic products in the identification of Bacteroidaceae of clinical interest. J Med Microbiol 1978; 11: 8199.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed