Archive Case #140: Swine Streptococcosis

Clinical Clues

1. Recently weaned pigs develop fever, depression, and acute neurologic signs.
2. Several affected pigs paddle in lateral recumbency and vocalise; one was markedly ataxic before going down.
3. The outbreak followed mixing and weaning stress, and a few pigs have swollen joints.
4. Cerebrospinal fluid is turbid and neutrophilic, supporting suppurative bacterial meningitis rather than oedema disease.
5. Necropsy histology shows fibrinopurulent meningitis and choroiditis in an untreated pig.
6. Culture of aseptically collected CSF and meninges yields a predominant Streptococcus suis strain, confirming Streptococcus suis meningitis (swine streptococcosis).

Diagnosis

Swine Streptococcosis

This case is most consistent with Swine Streptococcosis because post-weaning neurologic disease is accompanied by suppurative meningitis and recovery of Streptococcus suis from a normally sterile CNS site. The decisive clues are neutrophilic CSF, fibrinopurulent meningitis, and organism isolation; these distinguish it from oedema disease and other causes of porcine meningitis.

Educational Use

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