Studies on the pathogenicity of Acholeplasma axanthum in swine

Abstract

Acholeplasma axanthum sp. was isolated from the lung of swine with catarrhal pneumonia. Clinical symptoms of respiratory disease, gross and histological lesions of pneumonia, as well as serological response were produced by intranasal inoculation of ‘miniature pigs’ with the supernatant of lung suspension containing Acholeplasma axanthum and by a 48 hr. broth culture of the strain. A similar picture of disease was observed in animals held in contact with the animals inoculated with untreated lung suspension. Acholeplasma axanthum was isolated from the nasal cavity, lung and peribronchial lymph nodes 7–41 days after inoculation. No lesions were observed after inoculation of pigs with the supernatant of lung suspension pretreated with oxytetracycline or chloroform, and no successful isolation of Acholeplasma axanthum could be achieved after this treatment. © 1974, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.