Porcine pleuropneumonia is a highly contagious disease caused by the bacterium Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, a pathogen responsible for substantial losses worldwide to the pig industry. The disease is characterized by fibrinous pleuritis with hemorrhagic and necrotic lesions in the lungs, and pleural adhesions. Specific and precise methods for the identification of this pathogen are still required. In the present article we review the pathogenesis, as the traditional and the recently developed molecular methods employed for the identification and characterization of A. pleuropneumoniae.
porcine pleuropneumonia; Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae; diagnosis; PCR