Clinical Veterinary Microbiology (2004)

Bordhetella sp

The bordetella are small (0,2-0,5 x 0,5-1.0 ). Gram negative rods that tend to be coccobacillary. They
are strict aerobes and do not attack carbohydrats but derive energy by the oxidation of amino acids.
B. Avium and B. Bronchiseptica are motile by peritrichous flagella but B. Pertusis and B.parapertusis
are non motil. All are catalase-positive and oxidase-positive. B. Bronchiseptica and b. Avium will on
mac conkey agar.

Pathogenesis

B. bronchiseptica attaches firmly to the ciliated respiratory epithelium and this is followed by rapid
proliferation. Ciliary paralysis and an inflammatory response. Virulent strains produce pili and
extracellular enzyme, adenylate cyclase. The pili aid adherence and the adenylate cyclase has
antiphagocytic activity. Protects the bacterium from intracelular destruction and causes immobility
of respiratory cillia. A dermonecrotising toxin is also formed, which is primarily responsible for nasal
turbinate atrophy and may pay a role in pneumonia and other respiratory infections. The effect on
the turbinate bones is most serious in young pigs under 3 weeks of age when osteogenesis is most
active.

Bordetella infections depress the respiratory clearance mechanisms, facilitating invasion by other
organisms. Atrophic rhinitis in pigs is transient and self-limiting when caused by b.bronchiseptica
alone but the bacterium aids the establishment of the pilited and toxigenic (AR+) strains of
pasteurella multocida and the combined infection causes more serious and permanent lessons
(343). B. bronchiseptica also produces proteases, a hemolysin and haemagglutinins that may play a
part in the pathogenesis.

Direct microscopy

As the bordetella are small gram-negative coccobacilli, smears directly from specimen are
not very useful. A fluorescent antibody technique would be useful.

Culture

The routine media used are sheep blood and mac conkey agars. B. Avium and b.
Bronchiseptica grow well on both media. The plates are incubated aerobically at 37˚C for 24-48
hours.

Identification

On sheep or horse blood agar b. Bronchiseptica forms very small, convex, smooth colonies
with an entire edge after 24 hours (344). Some strains may be haemolytic. The colonies of b. Avium
are similar (345) but are non-haemolytic. Phase modulation occurs in both species and this is
thought to be due to loss of a capsule-like structure on subculture. The virulent, encapsulated phase
1 colonies are convex and shiny. Those of phase II are large, circular and convex with a smooth
surface and the avirulent phase III colonies are large, flat and granular with an irregular edge.
Bordetella bronchiseptica hydrolyzes urea rapidly. A pink color has begin to develop on the left slant
15 minute after inoculation. The right slant turned strongly pink during overnight incubation