A report of swine erysipelas infection in an organised farm in Kerala

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae is an established animal pathogen causing erysipelas in animals and occasionally it causes zoonotic skin infections in humans, known as erysipeloid. The present study was aimed to investigate the cause of sudden mortality in a batch of gilts in an organised farm in Thrissur district of Kerala. The heart swabs and tissue samples (spleen, liver, lungs, and heart) collected during post-mortem examination yielded growth of small Gram positive, non-capsulated, spore forming pleomorphic bacilli. Based on cultural, morphological and biochemical characteristics, these isolates were identified as E. rhusiopathiae. Furthermore, the isolates were subjected to Erysipelothrix specific 16S rRNA based polymerase chain reaction. The isolates were sequenced for further confirmation. The isolates were confirmed as E. rhusiopathiae by phenotypic and genotypic characterisation. Timely diagnosis of the disease helped to identify the possible source of infection. This study highlights the importance of timely identification of E. rhusiopathiae infection in an outbreak; thereby adequate strategies can be implemented to control the infection.