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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Virus and Prion Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #404460
Research Project: Virulence Mechanisms, Microbiome Changes and Control Strategies for Priority Bacterial Infections in Swine

Location: Virus and Prion Research

Title: Chapter 60. Staphylococcosis

Author
item Hau, Samantha

Submitted to: Diseases of Swine
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/7/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: This chapter, entitled "Staphylococcosis", will be included in the 12th Edition of Diseases of Swine, and reviews the etiology, public health significance, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical signs, lesions, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of exudative epidermitis (EE) and other conditions caused by Staphylococcus hyicus and other Staphylococcus species. In swine, Staphylococcus species are widespread and the primary disease concern is EE, primarily caused by S. hyicus. S. hyicus causes EE through the production of exfoliative toxins, which degrade desmosomes leading to separation of epidermal cells in the stratum granulosum and stratum spinosum. This leads to vesicle formation, inflammation, and fluid loss, which can lead to dehydration and death in severely affected piglets. S. hyicus has also been a cause of polyarthritis and reproductive failure. This chapter also discusses S. aureus, which is a cause of sporadic skin infections, abscesses, and more severe systemic diseases in pigs. Although S. aureus is not a common cause of infections in pigs, it has important public health implications because swine are a reservoir of methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA).