Virulence and Antimicrobial Resistance Characterization of Glaesserella parasuis Isolates Recovered from Spanish Swine Farms

[EN] Glaesserella (Haemophilus) parasuis, the causative agent of Glässer’s disease, is present in most pig farms as an early colonizer of the upper respiratory tract. It exhibits remarkable variability in virulence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), with virulent strains capable of inducing respira...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: González Fernández, Alba, Mencía Ares, Óscar, García Iglesias, María José, Petrocchi Rilo, Máximo, Miguélez Pérez, Rubén, Gutiérrez Martín, César Bernardo, Martínez Martínez, Sonia
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2024
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de León
Repository:BULERIA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de León
OAI Identifier:oai:buleria.unileon.es:10612/24438
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/13/8/741
https://hdl.handle.net/10612/24438
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Sanidad animal
Veterinaria
Antimicrobial susceptibility profiling
Glaesserella parasuis
Haemophilus parasuis
Pathotyping
Pig
Porcine respiratory disease complex
TbpB clustering
VtaA genes
3109 Ciencias Veterinarias
2414.01 Antibióticos
3109.05 Microbiología
Description
Summary:[EN] Glaesserella (Haemophilus) parasuis, the causative agent of Glässer’s disease, is present in most pig farms as an early colonizer of the upper respiratory tract. It exhibits remarkable variability in virulence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), with virulent strains capable of inducing respiratory or systemic disease. This study aimed to characterize the virulence and the AMR profiles in 65 G. parasuis isolates recovered from Spanish swine farms. Virulence was assessed using multiplex leader sequence (LS)-PCR targeting vtaA genes, with all isolates identified as clinical (presumed virulent). Pathotyping based on ten pangenome genes revealed the virulent HPS_22970 as the most frequent (83.1%). Diverse pathotype profiles were observed, with 29 unique gene combinations and two isolates carrying only potentially non-virulent pangenome genes. AMR phenotyping showed widespread resistance, with 63.3% classified as multidrug resistant, and high resistance to clindamycin (98.3%) and tylosin (93.3%). A very strong association was found between certain pathotype genes and AMR phenotypes, notably between the virulent HPS_22970 and tetracycline resistance (p < 0.001; Φ = 0.58). This study reveals the wide diversity and complexity of G. parasuis pathogenicity and AMR phenotype, emphasizing the need for the targeted characterization of clinical isolates to ensure appropriate antimicrobial treatments and the implementation of prophylactic measures against virulent strains.