title: Infectious agents identified in aborted swine fetuses in a high-density breeding area: a three-year study.
abstract: Reproductive failure in sows is one of the most important factors affecting pig breeding. Many reproductive disorders are linked to both environmental factors and infectious agents. The goal of our study was to determine the presence of pathogens that are known to cause abortion, considering a set of conditioning factors, such as seasonality and pregnancy period. A large number of aborted fetuses (1,625 fetuses from 140 farms) from a high-density breeding area in northern Italy was analyzed for a period of 3 years. The pigs were diagnosed based on direct (culture, PCR) or indirect (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) evidence. An infectious etiologic agent was found in 323 of 549 cases of abortion (58.8%). These included viral agents (Porcine circovirus-2, 138/323; Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, 108/323; porcine parvovirus, 20/323; pseudorabies virus, 6/323; and Encephalomyocarditis virus, 3/323) and bacteria (Escherichia coli, 64/323; Streptococcus sp., 63/323; Staphylococcus sp., 5/323; Pasteurella sp., 3/323; Shigella sp., 1/323; and Yersinia sp., 1/323). This study describes the prevalence of infectious agents involved in reproductive failure in a high-density swine population. The data can be useful to swine breeders, practitioners, and medical specialists in monitoring animal health and in supervising the breeding process.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Brescia, Italy (Salogni, Lazzaro, Giacomini, Giovannini, Zanoni, Giuliani, Ruggeri, Boniotti, Alborali)Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel (Pozzi)Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy (Pasquali) cristian.salogni@izsler.it.
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Salogni
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Brescia, Italy (Salogni, Lazzaro, Giacomini, Giovannini, Zanoni, Giuliani, Ruggeri, Boniotti, Alborali)Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel (Pozzi)Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy (Pasquali).
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lazzaro
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Brescia, Italy (Salogni, Lazzaro, Giacomini, Giovannini, Zanoni, Giuliani, Ruggeri, Boniotti, Alborali)Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel (Pozzi)Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy (Pasquali).
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giacomini
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Brescia, Italy (Salogni, Lazzaro, Giacomini, Giovannini, Zanoni, Giuliani, Ruggeri, Boniotti, Alborali)Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel (Pozzi)Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy (Pasquali).
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giovannini
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Brescia, Italy (Salogni, Lazzaro, Giacomini, Giovannini, Zanoni, Giuliani, Ruggeri, Boniotti, Alborali)Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel (Pozzi)Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy (Pasquali).
authors.forename: Mariagrazia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zanoni
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Brescia, Italy (Salogni, Lazzaro, Giacomini, Giovannini, Zanoni, Giuliani, Ruggeri, Boniotti, Alborali)Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel (Pozzi)Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy (Pasquali).
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giuliani
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Brescia, Italy (Salogni, Lazzaro, Giacomini, Giovannini, Zanoni, Giuliani, Ruggeri, Boniotti, Alborali)Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel (Pozzi)Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy (Pasquali).
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Brescia, Italy (Salogni, Lazzaro, Giacomini, Giovannini, Zanoni, Giuliani, Ruggeri, Boniotti, Alborali)Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel (Pozzi)Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy (Pasquali).
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pozzi
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Brescia, Italy (Salogni, Lazzaro, Giacomini, Giovannini, Zanoni, Giuliani, Ruggeri, Boniotti, Alborali)Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel (Pozzi)Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy (Pasquali).
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pasquali
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Brescia, Italy (Salogni, Lazzaro, Giacomini, Giovannini, Zanoni, Giuliani, Ruggeri, Boniotti, Alborali)Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel (Pozzi)Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy (Pasquali).
authors.forename: Maria Beatrice
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Boniotti
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Brescia, Italy (Salogni, Lazzaro, Giacomini, Giovannini, Zanoni, Giuliani, Ruggeri, Boniotti, Alborali)Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel (Pozzi)Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy (Pasquali).
authors.forename: Giovanni Loris
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Alborali
mesh_terms: D037881:Aborted Fetus / Q000382:microbiology; D000034:Abortion, Veterinary / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D017925:Circovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011558:Herpesvirus 1, Suid / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D019316:Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial
keywords: Infective abortion; retrospective survey; swine