Curved Bacteria & Spirochaetes
 DeltaProteobacteria
Curved bacteria
 Campylobacter spp.
 Campylobacter jejuni subsp. jejuni
Global
 Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus – abortion sheep/goats (sporadic in cattle)
 Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis – venereal transmission  EED, transient infertility in
cattle
Curved bacteria
 Helicobacter spp. – generally asymptomatic in animals  gastritis in humans
Curved bacteria
 Lawsonia intracellularis
 Spirochetes
 Brachyspira hyodysenteriae
 Borrelia burgdorferi
 Treponema spp.
 Leptospira spp.
C. jejuni – Overview
 Gram-negative, slender, spiral/curved rods
Global
 “S” or “gull wings” & chains (can resemble spirochetes)
 charcoal-based media, (antibiotics) & microaerophilic
90 % of cases
 Most common foodborne pathogen (2.5 million cases/yr in U.S.)
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Subclinical  clinical in humans (typically resolve without treatment)
Signs include: fever, vomiting  watery diarrhea  bloody diarrhea
Sequellae include: Reactive arthritis (specific human genotypes)
Guillian-Barr syndrome: LOS mimicry of neural ganglioside
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C. jejuni (CJ) & C. fetus (CFF): Ovine Abortion
Global
 CJ & CFF leading cause of ovine abortions
 “In contrast to other diarrhea-causing pathogens ..
does not express a large number of classical virulence
factors.”
 Virulence factors: GIT epithelium FIP
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Flagella – colonization, host-cell invasion
LOS – adhesin, host-cell invasion
CadF – fibronectin-binding protein
Cytolethal Distending Toxin (CDT) – host-cell DNA
 Pathogenesis: CJ > CFF
Lamb fetus liver - Focal hepatic necrosis
 Dx & Intervention
Smear-stain (carbol fuchsin)
 Fetal abomasal contents
 Fetal hepatic lesions
 Sample PCR &/or Culture
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 Ingestion  entry into GIT epithelium  translocation
into submucosa  phagocyte uptake  dissemination
to uterus/placenta  necrotizing placentitis
 Manage sources of infection
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Quarantine, placenta/lamb
Abx in feed?
 Vaccination CFF & CJ
Other Campylobacter spp. & Misc. Infections
 C. jejuni
 Canine diarrhea (~ 1/3 of non-viral diarrhea cases) – human-to-dog or dog-
to-human can occur (Abx - Erythromycin/Tylosin)
 Avian Vibrionic Hepatitis – uncommon in chickens & turkeys
 C. coli – swine GIT  human enterocolitis FYI
 C. upsaliensis – canine diarrhea FYI
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Lawsonia intracellularis: Proliferative Enteropathy
 Gram -ve, campylobacter-like shape
 Tissue culture only
 Swine, horses & hamsters (not humans).
Global
 Virulence – not much known
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Obligate intracellular
Polar flagella
Type Three Secretory System
LPS
Gebhart, Path. Bact. Infect. Animals. 2010
 Porcine Proliferative Enteropathy
(PPE/PIA)
 economically important
 ’d larger herds
After Erythromycin
 Horses – less prevalent (CVJ, 09,2007)
 Protein Losing Enteropathy <1 year
 “Wet-tail disease” in juvenile hamsters
 C. difficile in adults
L. intracellularis: PPE/PIA
 Enterocyte hyperplasia
 2-5 month old pigs - fecal-oral, (carrier rats)
 Ileum crypt Enterocytes
 Spread to jejunum, cecum & colon
 Proliferation of crypt enterocytes
 Thickened, firm intestinal wall & corrugated serosa
 Chronic form: < 4 months
 mild diarrhea & poor ADG/FCE
 CMI & sIgA  clearance of pathogen
 Acute Form: > 4 months
Silver
Stained
crypt
 Dx & Intervention
 PCR &/or FA
 Proliferative Hemorrhagic Enteropathy (PHE)
 Distal ileum proximal colon lumen blood clots
Dysentery  death
 Vaccination
 ’s pathology
 Abx in feed/H2O
 Tiamulin
 Tylosin
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