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The control of Mycoplasma hyorhinis infection relies mainly on antimicrobial therapy. However, the antibiotic susceptibility testing of the bacteria is usually not performed before applying the treatment, and thus therapeutic failures are not uncommon. In the case of M. hyorhinis, several antibiotic-resistance-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are known but assays for their detection have not been described yet. The aims of the present study were to investigate macrolide- and lincomycin-resistance-related SNPs in Hungarian M. hyorhinis isolates and to develop mismatch amplification mutation assays (MAMA) to detect the identified resistance markers. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of different drugs and whole genome sequences of 37 M. hyorhinis isolates were used to find the resistance-related mutations. One MAMA assay was designed to detect the mutation of the 23S rRNA gene at nucleotide position 2058 (Escherichia coli numbering). For further evaluation, the assay was challenged with 17 additional isolates with available MIC data and 15 DNA samples from clinical specimens. The genotypes of the samples were in line with the MIC test results. The developed assay supports the practice of targeted antibiotic usage; hence it may indirectly reduce some bacterial resistance-related public health concerns.

The last surveys on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from bovine milk in Hungary took place in the 2000s. To elucidate the genetic variability and to estimate the burden of the pathogen, MRSA from our strain collection and prospectively collected Staphylococcus aureus (SA) isolates originating from two milk hygiene laboratories were investigated. Between 2003 and 2018, 27 MRSA strains originating from 10 dairy farms were deposited and characterised. Most strains (n = 20) belonged to ST1-t127-SCCmecIV and were recovered from three unrelated farms. From other farms, variable genotypes were identified sporadically: ST22-t032-SCCmecIV from three farms; a newly described double locus variant of ST97, ST5982-t458-SCCmecIV from two farms; and ST398-t011-SCCmecIV and ST398-t011-SCCmecV from two respective farms. The prospective screening of 626 individual SA isolates originating from 42 dairy farms resulted in four (0.48 %) MRSA strains from three (7.14 %) farms. All MRSA isolates belonged to the clonal complex 398 and a novel spa-type t19251 was also identified. Most isolates were resistant to three or more antimicrobial classes. The occurrence and significance of MRSA of dairy origin seems to be unchanged in the past decade in Hungary. However, the low host specificity and multiresistance of the identified genotypes calls for periodic revision on the role and distribution of the pathogen in the Hungarian dairy sector.

Transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) is a coronavirus-induced disease of pigs, characterised by diarrhoea and vomiting. The incidence of the disease had been decreasing since the late 1980s when deletion mutant variants (porcine respiratory coronavirus, PRCoV) of the virus emerged, repressing TGE gradually. Although disease manifestations are infrequent, the virus is still present in pig herds, causing sporadic outbreaks in a milder form. Identification and characterisation of the spike genes from TGEV and PRCoV, detected in such outbreaks, were performed in Hungary. Analysis of the amplified partial gene sequences showed that TGEV was present in herds with TGE clinical signs together with PRCoV. The sequences, apart from the deletions in PRCoV, were identical and at least two types of PRCoV spike proteins could be identified based on the length of the deleted sequence.

Porcine circoviruses (PCV) are present worldwide, infecting domestic pigs and wild boars alike. Studies under laboratory conditions indicated that PCV can be taken up by mice and the virus can replicate in these animals. The possible role of rodents in maintaining and transmitting PCV2 infection in the field has not been investigated yet. The present study reports the detection of PCV2, the pathogenic form of the virus, in mice and rats. A number of rodents, such as mice, rats and voles, were collected at PCV2-infected farms and also outside pig herds and tested for the presence of the virus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results indicated that PCV2 can be present both in mice and rats (65.0% and 23.8% positivity, respectively) on the infected premises, but those rodents that were collected outside pig farms remained negative for PCV2.

This paper presents the embryological and pathological features as well as the terminology and classification of common atrioventricular canal, a type of endocardial cushion defect. The authors give a complete description of an extremely rare congenital cardiac malformation in an equine neonate. The diagnosis of a complete, balanced common atrioventricular canal of type C in Rastelli’s classification scheme was based on two-dimensional, contrast and colour Doppler echocardiography and subsequent postmortem gross pathology. To support our diagnosis and study the pathophysiological effect of the alteration, physical examination, blood gas analysis and other laboratory tests, electrocardiography and thoracic radiography were also performed. Our search of the literature suggests that this type of developmental anomaly might account for a higher percentage of equine congenital cardiac defects than was thought earlier. We suppose that some previously described congenital heart abnormalities were misinterpreted: these anomalies could have actually represented some type of atrioventricular canal defect, resulting from the failure of the endocardial cushions to undergo complete and proper fusion.

In this study one spleen-intact dog (A) and two splenectomised dogs (BSE, CSE) were infected with Babesia canis. All animals developed an acute disease characterised by fever, haemoglobinuria and anaemia, the latter being more severe in the splenectomised dogs. Fever and parasitised red blood cells were detected for three days after imidocarb treatment in the splenectomised animals. Haematological abnormalities included regenerative anaemia, thrombocytopenia and leukopenia (due to neutropenia and lymphopenia) in the acute phase, soon followed by leukocytosis, neutrophilia and left shift a few days later. Acute hepatopathy was detected in all dogs with elevated ALT activity, which was more seriously altered in the splenectomised dogs. Diffuse changes in liver structure and hepatomegaly were seen by ultrasonography. Liver biopsy and histology revealed acute, non-purulent hepatitis in the splenectomised dogs. Both splenectomised dogs were successfully cured after collection of 400 ml highly parasitised blood, proving that large-amount antigen production is possible with rescuing the experimental animals. Whole blood transfusion, imidocarb and supportive care with infusions, antipyretics, glucocorticoids and diuretics were applied. The spleen-intact dog clinically recovered after receiving supportive treatment, with no imidocarb therapy. Microbial infections developed in both splenectomised animals (BSE: haemobartonellosis, CSE: osteomyelitis caused by Escherichia coli), probably as a consequence of immunosuppression after splenectomy and glucocorticoid therapy.

In vitro antimicrobial sensitivity of 12 Hungarian isolates and the type strain ATCC 33144 of Actinobaculum suis to different antimicrobial compounds was determined both by the agar dilution and by the disc diffusion method. By agar dilution, MIC50 values in the range of 0.05-3.125µg/ml were determined for penicillin, ampicillin, ceftiofur, doxycycline, tylosin, pleuromutilins, chloramphenicol, florfenicol, enrofloxacin and lincomycin. The MIC50 value of oxytetracycline and spectinomycin was 6.25 and 12.5µg/ml, respectively. For ofloxacin, flumequine, neomycin, streptomycin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin and sulphamethoxazole + trimethoprim MIC50 values were in the range of 25-100µg/ml. With the disc diffusion method, all strains were sensitive to penicillin, cephalosporins examined, chloramphenicol and florfenicol, tetracyclines examined, pleuromutilins, lincomycin and tylosin. Variable sensitivity was observed for fluoroquinolones (flumequine, enrofloxacin, ofloxacin), most of the strains were susceptible to marbofloxacin. Almost all strains were resistant to aminoglycosides but most of them were sensitive to spectinomycin. A strong correlation was determined for disc diffusion and MIC results (Spearman's rho 0.789, p50 values of other tested strains did not differ significantly. Few strains showed a partially distinct resistance pattern for erythromycin, lincomycin and ampicillin in both methods.