Suspected <i>Leptospira Pomona</i> Infection
UK - An investigation is ongoing into suspected Leptospira Pomona infection in a breeder-finisher pig herd in the south-west of England, according to Defra's Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA).
7 September 2011
2 minute read
The herd has experienced increasing reproductive problems since the end of 2010 with pigs found to be not pregnant, and the birth of mummified, stillborn, or weakly piglets from older sows. Kidney from a jaundiced neonatal piglet tested positive for pathogenic leptospires using PCR.
Molecular sequencing was not able to definitively identify the serovar of the leptospire from this piglet, but strong serological evidence of exposure to L. Pomona has been detected in the sows. A wildlife source of leptospira is suspected and investigation of the wild rodent and insectivore populations in the immediate locality of the farm is underway, with the assistance of the Food and Environmental Research Agency (FERA).
L. Pomona is zoonotic causing similar disease to L. Hardjo, which is endemic in GB. L. Pomona has not previously been identified in the GB pig population, but is endemic in the Americas and Eastern Europe, where it has caused significant economic loss. Antibodies to L. Pomona are occasionally detected in dogs and horses tested prior to export from the UK.
Further Reading
 |
- | Find out more information on L. Pomona by clicking here. |
