Pathological and molecular diagnosis of Swine Pasteurellosis in pigs of Chhattisgarh, India

Outbreak of swine pasteurellosis with 66% mortality rate was studied in a pig population of Raipur, Durg and Rajnandgaon districts of Chhattisgarh, India. Affected animals exhibited pyrexia, dullness, staggering gait, anorexia, serous nasal discharge and dyspnoea. External lesions exhibited by affected pigs were oedematous swellings in the pharyngeal region and serous to seropurulent nasal discharge. Gross lesions observed were consolidation and haemorrhages in lungs, petechial to echymotic haemorrhages on serous membranes, oedema and haemorrhages in lymph nodes. On histopathological examination, lungs showed typical fibrinous bronchopneumonia with multifocal suppuration. Pleura were severely thickened. Heart of some pigs showed presence of thrombi, haemorrhages and degeneration of myocardium. The blood smears from heart blood and tissue impression smears revealed bipolar organisms indicating the presence of Pasteurella spp. Growth, phenotypic and molecular characterization of the isolated organism revealed the presence of Pasteurella multocida capsular type B.