Role of the sow as a reservoir of infection for Mycoplasma hyosynoviae
Ross, R.F.; Spear, M.L.
American Journal of Veterinary Research 34(3): 373-378
1973
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9645 PMID: 4734888 Document Number: 62165
The tonsil and pharyngeal mucosa were frequent sites of chronic infection with M. hyosynoviae in adult, female swine. The nasal mucosa was less frequently infected, and shedding of the organism with nasal secretions was intermittent. Pharyngeal infection rarely occurred in pigs 1 to 6 weeks of age that were nursing infected sows, but it was common in 7- to 8-week-old pigs and increased with age. Weaning and isolating the pigs from infected sows at 4 weeks of age was relatively effective in preventing infection. Complement-fixing (CF) antibody to M. hyosynoviae was frequently detected in serums of infected sows and 1-week-old pigs nursing such sows, but it was not detectable when the pigs had reached 4 weeks of age. The CF antibody detected in serum of pigs at 7, 8, and 12 weeks of age was assumed to be actively induced. Metabolic-inhibiting antibody to the organism was not detected.