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. 2024 Oct 26;14(1):25510.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-76428-4.

First detection of multidrug-resistant and toxigenic Pasteurella aerogenes in sow vaginal discharge: a novel threat to swine health in Thailand

Krittika Keeratikunakorn  1 , Kampon Kaeoket  1 , Puey Ounjai  2 , Dhammika Leshan Wannigama  3   4   5   6   7   8 , Tanittha Chatsuwan  4   5 , Natharin Ngamwongsatit  9   10
Affiliations

First detection of multidrug-resistant and toxigenic Pasteurella aerogenes in sow vaginal discharge: a novel threat to swine health in Thailand

Krittika Keeratikunakorn et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Pasteurella aerogenes has been implicated in reproductive disorders in sows, yet its prevalence and characteristics in vaginal discharge are not well understood. This study aimed to detect P. aerogenes in sow vaginal discharge samples and investigate its antibiotic resistance profile, toxin genes, and toxicity. P. aerogenes was isolated from 40% (8/20) of samples. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed universal resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanate (4:1), with 87.5% of isolates also resistant to oxytetracycline, amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, and enrofloxacin. The colistin resistance gene mcr-2 was detected in 75% of isolates, while class 1 integron (int1) was found in 12.5%. The pax toxin gene cluster was present in 75% of isolates. Toxicity assays using Panagrellus redivivus demonstrated dose-dependent effects of P. aerogenes supernatant containing pax toxins. This study represents the first report of P. aerogenes isolation from sow vaginal discharge in Thailand. The high prevalence of antibiotic resistance, presence of the mcr-2 gene, and toxicity of pax toxin-positive isolates suggest that P. aerogenes may be an underestimated factor in swine reproductive health. These findings highlight the need for further investigation into the role of P. aerogenes in sow reproductive disorders and its potential impact on swine production.

Keywords: Pasteurella aerogenes; mcr genes; pax genes; Sow’s vaginal discharge.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Phylogenetic analysis of mcr-2 sequences. The evolutionary relationships among 45 mcr-2 nucleotide sequences were inferred using the Neighbor-Joining method. Evolutionary distances, computed using the Maximum Composite Likelihood method, are expressed as the number of base substitutions per site. The mcr-2 sequences from P. aerogenes isolates in this study are highlighted in red. This phylogenetic tree demonstrates the evolutionary context of the mcr-2 gene identified in P. aerogenes relative to previously reported sequences.
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