J Vet Sci.  2009 Jun;10(2):147-151. 10.4142/jvs.2009.10.2.147.

Porcine abortion outbreak associated with Toxoplasma gondii in Jeju Island, Korea

• Kim JH
• Kang KI
• Kang WC
• Sohn HJ
• Jean YH
• Park BK
• Kim Y
• Kim DY

• KMID: 1102971
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4142/jvs.2009.10.2.147

Abstract

This report deals with the acute onset of an abortion outbreak and high sow mortality in one pig herd consisted of 1,200 pigs and 120 sows on Jeju Island, Korea. Affected pregnant sows showed clinical signs, including high fever, gradual anorexia, vomiting, depression, recumbency, prostration, abortion, and a few deaths. Four dead sows, five aborted fetuses from the same litter, and 17 sera collected from sows infected or normal were submitted to the Pathology Division of the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service for diagnostic investigation. Grossly, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly were observed in sows. Multiple necrotic foci were scattered in the lungs, liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. Microscopically, multifocal necrotizing lesions and protozoan tachyzoites were present in the lesions. Tachyzoites of Toxoplasma (T.) gondii were detected immunohistochemically. Latex agglutination showed that the sera of 7 of 17 (41.2%) sows were positive for antibody to T. gondii. The disease outbreak in this herd was diagnosed as epizootic toxoplasmosis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of porcine toxoplasmosis with a high abortion rate and sow mortality in Korea.

Keyword

abortion; pig; sow mortality; tachyzoite; Toxoplasma gondii

MeSH Terms

Aborted Fetus
Abortion, Veterinary/blood/epidemiology/*parasitology/pathology
Animals
Antibodies, Protozoan/blood
Disease Outbreaks/*veterinary
Female
Hepatomegaly/parasitology/veterinary
Immunohistochemistry/veterinary
Korea/epidemiology
Latex Fixation Tests/veterinary
Pregnancy
Splenomegaly/parasitology/veterinary
Swine
Swine Diseases/blood/epidemiology/*parasitology/pathology
Toxoplasma/*isolation & purification
Toxoplasmosis, Animal/blood/epidemiology/parasitology/*pathology

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Liver of aborted sow, showing multifocal necrotic hepatitis. H&E, ×200. Insert: Note brown tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii in sinusoid and Kupffer cell. ABC stain, ×400.

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  Fig. 2 Cerebrum of aborted sow, showing focal necrotic encephalitis. H&E. ×200.

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  Fig. 3 Lung of an aborted porcine fetus, showing severe pulmonary necrosis. H&E, ×200. Insert: Note brown tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii in alveolar macrophages. ABC stain, ×400.

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