Colonisation of Gnotobiotic Piglets byStaphylococcus hyicusand the Development of Exudative Epidermitis

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Abstract
The patterns of colonisation and the development of exudative epidermitis in gnotobiotic piglets were compared using three Staphylococcus hyicus isolates from clinical cases. The colonisation patterns of 5. epidermidis and S.warneri isolates from the skin of normal pigs were also determined. Each strain successfully colonised the skin of the animals and spread into their environment. The populations of S.epidermidis or S.warneri stabilised in numbers after 5 d and produced no macroscopic damage to the skin. Two of the three S.hyicus isolates caused exudative epidermitis and their populations correlated with the severity of the lesions. The third S.hyicus isolate failed to reach similar populations to the other 5. hyicus strains and did not cause disease. This bacterial skin disease would provide a suitable model to study the role of an antagonistic flora in reducing the colonisation of pathogenic staphylococci and the occurrence of disease.