The aim of this work was to characterize non haemolytic strains of the genus Haemophilus isolated from pigs. The strains were either isolated from pigs with Glässer's disease or from apparently healthy piglets, from four herds supposediy affected by the disease and from pigs with poliarthritis. The strains were characterized by dependence on NAD (V factor), CAMP test, hemolysin, indole, urease and catalase production, nitrate reduction and acid production from glucose, sucrose, arabinose and mannose. Seventeen out of the 24 strains were classified as Haemophilus parasuis (10 isolates from clinically affected animals and seven from healthy piglets). Five of these strains were identified as serovars 2, 4, 7, ND4 and one was nontypeable. Four out of the 24 strains produced acid from arabinose and were tentativelly allocated on taxonomic group C. Three strains produced urease, but the tests did not accuratelly differenciate them from Actinobacilius pleuropneumoniae. In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility test showed that more than 60% of the strains were sensitive to: ampicillin, cephalothin, chloramphenicol, danofioxacin, nitrofurantoin, penicillin, polymyxin B and tetracycline.
Glässer's disease; Haemophilus parasuis; antimicrobial susceptibility; bacterial identification
