Nasal and tonsil secretions and tonsil tissue were collected from 67 piglets (9-to-15 weeks old) from three positive herds and from 50 piglets from two negative herds. Positive herds were those in which an Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App) strain of serotype 3, 5 or 7 was isolated and negative ones those in which there was no notification of clinical symptoms or lesions of swine pleuropneumoniae, no App isolation and the herd was under veterinarian control. The collected material was submitted to three different bacterial culture methods: 1- direct streak on solid selective medium, 2- dilution in selective broth followed by subculture in solid selective medium, and 3- dilution in selective broth medium followed by subculture in blood agar. Among the NAD-dependent strains recovered 86 were App, 13 belonged to the minor group and 21 to the Taxon group (C, D, E e F). From the positive herds four serotyped strains of App (sorotypes 3, 7 and 12) and 51 nonsorotipable strains were recovered. From the negative herds 31 nonsorotipable strains of App were recovered, indicating that App is a resident in the upper respiratory tract of pigs. The best method for recovering NAD-dependent strains from carrier piglets was achieved by direct culturing of tonsil tissue in solid selective medium (PPLO agar containing 2mu g of crystal violet, 10mu g of NAD, 1mu g of lincomycin, 1,4mu g of bacitracin per ml).
Swine; Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae; pleuropneumonia
