Antimicrobial susceptibility of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae in Switzerland

Brachyspira (B.) hyodysenteriae is the causative agent of swine dysentery (SD), a severe mucohaemorrhagic diarrheal disease in pigs worldwide. So far, the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of B. hyodysenteriae in Switzerland have not been investigated. Therefore, a panel of 30 porcine B. hyodysenteriae isolates were tested against 6 antimicrobial agents by using the VetMIC Brachy panel, a broth microdilution test. Tiamulin and valnemulin showed high antimicrobial activity inhibiting all isolates at low concentrations. The susceptibility testing of doxycycline revealed values from <= 0.25 mu g/ml (47%) to 2 mu g/ml (10%). The MIC values of lincomycin ranged between <= 0.5 mu g/ml (30%) and 32 mu g/ml (43%). For tylosin, 57% of the isolates could not be inhibited at the highest concentration of <= 128 mu g/ml. The MIC values for tylvalosin were between <= 0.25 mu g/ml (10%) and 8 mu g/ml (20%). These findings reveal Switzerland's favourable situation compared to other European countries. Above all, tiamulin and valnemulin are still effective antimicrobial agents and can be further used for the treatment of SD.