Isolation of Staphylococcus Species from the Tonsils of Healthy Pigs and Phage Patterns of Isolates

Abstract

Between April and June 1986, the tonsils of 126 healthy pigs were examined for the presence of staphylococci. All of the pigs examined harboured staphylococci in the tonsils. The most predominant Staphylococcus species was S. hyicus subsp. hyicus (92.9%), followed by S. aureus (57.1%), S. hominis (40.5%), S. simulans (22.2%), S. epidermidis (3.2%), S. xylosus (2.4%), S. haemolyticus (1.6%) and S. hyicus subsp. chromogenes (0.8%). Unidentifiable species were isolated from 10 (7.9%) of the 126 tonsils examined. The combinations of S. hyicus subsp. hyicus and S. aureus with or without other species were most frequently encountered, finding in 53.2% of all the tonsils examined. The main phage patterns of 69 S. hyicus subsp. hyicus strains typable with S. hyicus subsp. hyicus phage set were S13 (n=27), S9/S39/S188 (n=12), S9/S188 (n=11) and S9 (n=6). The main phage patterns of 63 S. aureus strains typable with the human S. aureus phage set were 3A/3C (n=36) and 3C (n=16). Sixty-one coagulase-negative staphylococcal strains typable with Pulverer's phage set were differentiated into 25 phage patterns.