Cross-species transmission of Brucella abortus in an aborted sow

Abstract

Swine brucellosis causes economic losses due to abortion at any stage of gestation in sows; orchitis and epididimytis in boars; sterility and hygroma in adult pigs all over the world. Typically, the infection in pigs is caused by B. suis biovars 1–3. Despite the host specificity reported in many species of Brucella, there may be cross-species transmission due to breaches in the animal host boundary at mixed or integrated farming systems or at the livestock-wildlife interface. In the study, a case of late abortion in a four year old non-descript (desi) sow was reported at Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Madras Veterinary College, Chennai for screening of brucellosis. Brucella antibody was detected from the sow using serological tests like RBPT and indirect ELISA. B. abortus biovar 1 was isolated and identified based on bacteriological evaluation and was further confirmed by AMOS PCR. This article depicts the detection of a spillover infection of B. abortus biovar 1 in an aborted non-descript sow reared in a small-scale holding. Hence, it is evident that the cross species transmission of B. abortus occurred irrespective of its host specificity, highlighting the possibility of novel transmission dynamics within the pigs by direct or indirect contact with infected cattle. This study warrants the need for further investigation of the epidemiology, transmission dynamics and pathogenicity of the zoonotic bacteria.