The serological typing of staphylococcus hyicus subsp. hyicus isolated from pigs with exudative epidermitis and healthy pigs was attempted by slide agglutination technique with absorbed sera prepared from antisera against swine strains of the organism. Of 204 Staph. hyicus subsp. hyicus isolated, 202 (99.0%) were classified into 6 serotypes tentatively designated as A, B, C, D, E and F. The organisms were found to possess common antigens and a strain specific antigen.
In 26 epizootics of exudative epidermitis, type A was found in 4(15.4%), type B in 12(46.2%), type C in 9(34.6%) and type E in 1(3.8%). All of the piglets of each affected litter were infected by serologically identical strain .
In 178 strains isolated from the skin of healthy pigs, type A was found in 14.1%, type B in 23.0%, type C in 30.3%, type D in l 7%, type E in 7.9% and type F in 21.9%, and 2 strains were untypable.
There was a difference in the occurrence of serotypes of Staph. hyicus subsp. hyicus among the farms examined.
|