Staphylococcus hyicus abortion in a sow

Five aborted fetuses from a mature sixth-parity sow with severe greasy pig disease as a gilt, were submitted for diagnostic evaluation. Necropsy of the fetuses revealed serogelatinous edema in the SC connective tissue of the ventral abdominal region (especially around the umbilicus), exaggerated amounts of serohemorrhagic fluid in the abdominal, pleural, and pericardial cavities, and hemorrhagic kidneys, with diminished consistency. Staphylococcus hyicus was isolated in pure culture from liver, lung, kidney, and brain tissues and from abdominal, pleural, pericardial, and gastric fluids.