title: Porcine abortion outbreak associated with Toxoplasma gondii in Jeju Island, Korea.
abstract: This report deals with the acute onset of an abortion outbreak and high sow mortality in one pig herd consisted of 1,200 pigs and 120 sows on Jeju Island, Korea. Affected pregnant sows showed clinical signs, including high fever, gradual anorexia, vomiting, depression, recumbency, prostration, abortion, and a few deaths. Four dead sows, five aborted fetuses from the same litter, and 17 sera collected from sows infected or normal were submitted to the Pathology Division of the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service for diagnostic investigation. Grossly, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly were observed in sows. Multiple necrotic foci were scattered in the lungs, liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. Microscopically, multifocal necrotizing lesions and protozoan tachyzoites were present in the lesions. Tachyzoites of Toxoplasma (T.) gondii were detected immunohistochemically. Latex agglutination showed that the sera of 7 of 17 (41.2%) sows were positive for antibody to T. gondii. The disease outbreak in this herd was diagnosed as epizootic toxoplasmosis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of porcine toxoplasmosis with a high abortion rate and sow mortality in Korea.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeju National University, Jeju, Korea. kimjhoon@jejunu.ac.kr
authors.forename: Jae Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyung Il
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Wan Cheul
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Hyun Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Young Hwa
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Jean
authors.forename: Bong Kyun
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Yongbaek
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dae Yong
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D037881:Aborted Fetus; D000034:Abortion, Veterinary / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006529:Hepatomegaly / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000662:veterinary; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D011247:Pregnancy; D013163:Splenomegaly / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan