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. 2011 Jul;75(3):200-8.

Host response in rabbits to infection with Pasteurella multocida serogroup F strains originating from fowl cholera

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Host response in rabbits to infection with Pasteurella multocida serogroup F strains originating from fowl cholera

Zoran Jaglic et al. Can J Vet Res. 2011 Jul.

Abstract

Although Pasteurella multocida serogroup F has been described as an avian-adapted serogroup, it was recently found in rabbit nests in the Czech Republic. Therefore, the ability of 2 avian P. multocida serogroup F strains to induce disease in rabbits was investigated. Two groups of 18 Pasteurella-free rabbits were intranasally challenged with strains isolated from chickens and turkeys. Half of the animals in each challenge group were immunosuppressed using dexamethasone. All of the challenged rabbits exhibited clinical signs of peracute septicemic disease, ending with shock, and died or were euthanized in the terminal stages of the disease 1 to 2 d post-infection. Gross pathological changes included systemic vascular collapse and vascular leak syndrome. Hyperemia, hemorrhage, edema, inflammatory cell infiltrates, focal necrosis, and degenerative changes were observed histologically in parenchymatous organs. This is the first study directly demonstrating that avian P. multocida serogroup F strains are highly virulent in rabbits and that avian hosts cannot be excluded as a possible source of rabbit infection with serogroup F.

Bien que Pasteurella multocida sérogroupe F ait été décrit comme étant un sérogroupe adapté aux espèces avicoles, il a récemment été trouvé dans des terriers de lapin en République Tchèque. Ainsi, la capacité de 2 souches aviaires de P. multocida sérogroupe F pour induire la maladie chez les lapins a été étudiée. Deux groupes de lapins exempts de Pasteurella ont été inoculés par voie intranasale avec des souches isolées de poulets et de dindes. La moitié des animaux dans chacun des groupes inoculés étaient immuno-supprimés au moyen de dexaméthasone. Tous les lapins éprouvés ont montré des signes cliniques de maladie septicémique suraiguë, se terminant par un choc, et sont morts ou ont été euthanasiés dans les stades terminaux de la maladie, 1 à 2 j post-infection. Les changements pathologiques anatomiques incluaient un collapse vasculaire systémique et un syndrome de fuite vasculaire. De l’hyperémie, des hémorragies, de l’œdème, des infiltrations de cellules inflammatoires, de la nécrose focale, et des changements dégénératifs ont été observés lors de l’examen histologique des organes parenchymateux. Ce rapport constitue la première étude qui démontre directement que les souches de P. multocida sérogroupe F sont hautement virulentes chez les lapins et que les hôtes avicoles ne peuvent être exclus comme une source possible des infections avec le sérogroupe F chez les lapins.

(Traduit par Docteur Serge Messier)

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns of the Pasteurella multocida strains after digestion with enzyme ApaI. Lane 1: 50 Kb lambda DNA ladder (50–1000 Kb, Bio-Rad); lane 2: strain P-4218; lane 3: strain C2172H3km7; lane 4: strain J-4103.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Histological lesions observed after challenge with Pasteurella multocida P-4218. (A) Lungs from uninfected control. (B) Lungs from a challenged rabbit, showing intense hyperemia of the alveolar walls accompanied by alveolar destruction and infiltration with erythrocytes, inflammatory cells, and fibrin. (C) Spleen from uninfected control. (D) Spleen from a challenged rabbit, showing massive hyperemia and hemorrhages in the red pulp accompanied by small necrotic areas with peripheral infiltration of neutrophils. (E) Liver from uninfected control. (F) Liver from the challenged rabbit, showing centrilobular degeneration of hepatocytes with the presence of a small lymphocytic infiltrate.

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