A fatal suppurative pneumonia in piglets caused by a pathogenic coagulase-positive strain of Staphylococcus hyicus.

Staphylococcus hyicus is one of the opportunistic pathogens that cause infections to animals. Early studies have demonstrated that S. hyicus is the causative agents of exudative epidermitis in pigs, arthritis in horses and chicken, mastitis in cow, and bacteremia, sepsis and multiple organ failure in humans. Here, we report the isolation and identification of a representative S. hyicus isolate, named JLHN15, from a pig farm with a disease characterized by bacteremia, suppurative pneumonia and fibrinous pericarditis. Our results indicate that JLHN15 is a pathogenic coagulase-positive Staphylococcus. To the best knowledge, this is the first report of S. hyicus causing an infection characterized by suppurative pneumonia and sepsis.